Eye of the Tigers
by Tigress2929
Summary: What if in "This Little Piggy" it was not only Bruce and Diana but also Kal? Bruce and Kal get transformed? Happy ending? Jealousy? This is my first story. Read if you please! Added Note: This story will not be exactly like "This Little Piggy" but it is based on it, and the idea for this story was inspired by that episode. (Undergoing Construction. Story will NOT be abandoned.)
1. Chapter 1 Men

**Okay, here's the deal. This is chapter one, the same as it was before but with a _few_ added parts and it is edited. So hopefully any spelling mistakes were caught. Thanks go to everyone who has stuck with this story and I hope that you can hold on a while longer while I finish editing the rest of the chapters. I just don't feel like I can continue with them like this. To me, as the author, it just feels like I need to assure myself off having a firm foundation for my story. Please dont be angry. **

**If youre new to this fic and wish to read despite some of the chapters not yet being re-edited, go ahead. Just know that things may be added or deleted later on. Thank you. :) Proper public thanks will be executed once I reach the last of the already posted chapters.**

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The city lights continuously flicker in the darkness, casting long shadows across the streets and building walls. I breathe in deeply, filling my lungs with the night time smog. There is nothing particularly relaxing about Gotham City, yet every time I look at it and walk among her, I can feel myself beginning to calm down and notice everything around me. But right now, not even Gotham can calm my frayed nerves.

The cause of my moody state is, due to things that have happened recently. Usually I can forget about it and act like I normally do. Not right now though. Now I am annoyed and slightly upset, because two "_men_" did not think me capable enough to help figure out their situation. And to top it all off I am stuck with them on this night watch while they both act as if nothing had happened just an hour or so ago.

Men and their infuriating ways. Even though I have lived here for at least three years, men and their _ways_ still manage to leave me puzzled and angry.

Out of the corner of my eye, I silently watch both Batman and Superman as they dutifully stand watch for any sign of Intergang.

Batman. Now there is a man who is more complex than any other I have ever met before. Tall, dark and brooding, he manages to get under everyone's skin, particularly mine and I do believe that he secretly enjoys it. I study his figure closely. My eyes rove over his body which is hunched over. His right leg is firmly placed on the ledge with his cape loosely flowing around him, making him resemble the likes of a living shadow. The only movement from him is the slight, subtle changes in his posture, as he repositions his binoculars to thoroughly scan the area.

Superman shuffles forward on my right, and my attention is suddenly captivated by him. Kal-El, the last son of Krypton. He has strength and swiftness that can slightly surpass my own. Fighting for Truth, Justice and the American way, Kal represents America and its people. Even though it is night time, his muscles manage to bulge out nicely, accented just right with the help of his costume. The red "S" insignia on his chest seems to glow, strong, steady and bold, just like him. In every way that Batman can be cold, and dark, Superman is equal in strength and truth.

Two very different men, yet they manage to be the same in their own ways. They may not know it, but they have many things in common. Such as their stubbornness. "_Especially_ that." I think to myself wryly. And their looks. I think to myself slyly almost as an afterthought.

I let out a slightly frustrated breath. Slowly I walk up to the ledge and peer at it closely. Finding it safely intact, I hop unto it and swing my legs over, leaving them to dangle freely in the night air. Lazily slinging my arm across the horned gargoyle's head located next to me, I practically snort out loud in my smoldering agitated state.

"Patience Princess. Intergang moves in mysterious ways." Batman's low, gruff voice cuts through the silence.

Turning my head to see him better, I note that he still looks as rigid and as unmoving as before. A habit so perfected by experience that one who did not know the Batman, would easily doubt that he had spoken at all.

"Tell me about it. What use could they possibly have for the Rosetta stone?" I ask, not wanting to miss this opportunity for small talk. No matter how upset I am with either of them, conversation is better than silence. But what surprises me is the fact that it's Bruce talking, and not Kal. I glance at him, only to find him lost in thought. The sight causes me to frown slightly. What could have him so eerily quiet this night, usually he is more talkative and alert. Bruce's voice penetrates my thoughts and my attention is soon focused on him and what he has to say.

"We'll find out soon enough. And in the meantime…" He trails off slowly.

"I know. Patience." I reply somewhat flatly, finishing his sentence.

Knowing that Bruce is talked out for the moment, I decide to occupy myself with watching the couples who are currently milling out of the small café across the street.

They look so happy…

And in love.

Something that I have lost. The pain returns and to divert my attention from it I do something that I know I should not do.

I don't even realize that I have blurted out the question until it is already out of my mouth.

"Don't you ever wish you were down there?"

Knowing that I can't take it back, I slowly push my hair behind my ear and risk a glance at Bruce. He lowers his binoculars and stares at me, stoic and unnervingly emotionless.

I can sense Kal's gaze at the back of my head, and then it disappears, only to become refocused on Bruce as we wait for his reply. Apparently my question or rather…

His answer is one of great importance.

Finally, after what seems like much glaring, Bruce speaks.

"I'm down there all I need to be." He then returns to what he was doing before; quite clearly telling us that the conversation is now over.

That is it. That is all he has to say on the subject. Plain and simple. To him at least.

I can't help but feel disappointed in his answer. I look at Kal with an inquiring gaze. He has all but lost interest in the conversation. Does he not have anything to say on the matter?

Frowning I resume my observation of the couple's below and begin to dwell into my own thoughts. I lean more heavily against the gargoyle next to me and almost break it in my frustration.

Why does it have to be so complicated? Is he so naive that he is not able to notice my growing feelings for him?

_"Don't forget the other." _Nemesis. He is one of the reasons for my unhappiness. How ironic to think that almost all my problems lay within the situation of men. _Almost_.

"Don't bother asking him Di. All it will do is break into his brooding time. There is no such word like _fun_ in the Bat's vocabulary."

I can't help but grin at him. It's true. Anyone who has known him for as long as we have can confirm it.

He grins back at me and I can feel the rush of slight warmth fill my inner being. Kal who has always been there to cheer me up. Who I can talk with, and share my deepest, most secret of confessions with. And there it is, yet another man that I hold dearly close within my heart. A man that I cherish spending my time with. Along with Bruce, he is the only other male team member that I have ever spent any other extra quality time with.

I sigh through my nose and try to think back to the last time we had spent an evening together. I tilt my head slightly to the right, as I realize that it has been a while since we have had really sat down and had a conversation. Perhaps after this mission he and I can go somewhere and talk privately? Hera knows that I need someone to talk to, and since Bruce is clearly not the best choice...

I unclench my hands and incline my head slightly forward, while grinning at Kal. He grins back at me wider in response. He can see it in my eyes. He could sense that something had happened, that something was bothering me. He also now knows that I am finally ready. It is time that I tell someone, and Kal will do perfectly.

"Stop smiling you two. The gleam in your teeth will alert Intergang that we are here."

My eyes widen in slight surprise and I whip my head around to look at Bruce. He just looks back at me, cool and calmly.

Tightening my lips, I glare back at him.

"Stop mocking me you little…"

A realization suddenly strikes me. My eyes widen slightly and my mouth goes somewhat slack. Bruce Wayne-The cold hearted Batman has just made a joke. A quite rude and dry joke, but a joke never the less.

"Why you…" I gasp out. His lips ever so subtly twitch and I grit my teeth in annoyance. I am frustrated that I happen to be the source of his amusement. Like always. The Amazon Princess, live entertainment for the dark bat.

"Bruce…" I growl out, frowning at him, but just then an alarm goes off, and before I can question him he is already swinging into the air and lost among the shadows.

"Saved by the bell." I mumble under my breath, before I to take into the air. Leaving behind a smirking Kal, as he intensely watches me go.

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**So what do you think of this newly edited chapter? Hopefully the spelling is even better than before. Meaning that there's less mistakes. :D**


	2. Chapter 2 Alpha

**Chapter 2 Edited: Yes. :)**

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**As you all probably know, this is my first story and I'm hoping that it will be okay. If you like it or don't like it I would like to know. If you don't like something please let me know, but try and be sincere about it. In this chapter I am kind of going back in time. In here it will all be Superman's POV. This will probably be the only chapter that has anyone else's POV; ****every other chapter will all be in Diana's, yet it may change in the future. Enjoy!**

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**Superman's P.O.V.**

I can't shake the feeling of anger that I have toward Bruce right now. Moments before he just decided to push my buttons the wrong way, and it could not have been at a worse time.

It had not helped that I had already been on edge. The past couple of weeks had taken a turn for the worse. Emotionally. The break-up with Lois had left me feeling a bit uncertain and out of sorts. Something that I have never felt before, and that makes me feel angry. Angry, that I can't handle this… this…

Whatever it is that I am experiencing. I know that things are steadily shifting. I am used to the old structure... The old routine of social groups and identities. Their purpose and meanings. Everything had a certian description, or title. Everyone fit securely into a part of my everyday life.

Diana and Bruce... A best friend, comrade, and confidant.

Lois, the League... Superman, Clark Kent... A highschool crush, normality, the place where I belong, who I am, who I want to be.

But now, that has changed, or at least parts of it. For better or worse, I still have yet to see.

It hasn't been only Lois that has been weighing down on me though. It has also been my thoughts of concern for Diana. She's holding something back from us... From me. I can sense it. I can't be too sure if the Batman knows what's been bugging her, but it wouldn't surprise me if he did. Those two share a certain connection. A connection only understood and wired flawlessly by them. It is something that neither my super hearing, superb eyesight or x-ray vision can help me understand, or decode. I would be lying if I said that I never felt a little emotion of jealousy at that. Still, I always am able to push those nagging feelings aside, by denying them or flying off to visit Lois. I can't do that now though. I can't try and pretend to be naive no longer. Bruce and Diana are very close friends... and perhaps something more. That prospect alone has a way of irritating me, and he knows it to. But Bruce can't just stop there. Oh no, he has to push me _all_ the way.

I grit my teeth in annoyance, as frustration for the Bat washes over me. Darn Bruce! He just had to get all Alpha on me! I can remember the conversation all too clearly.

**Flashback:**

I am angry, beyond furious with the Bat. He thinks that he can just come on up here and demand that things change to his own liking.

No. That is not the way it works. Rules are here for a purpose. He should know, he created more than half of them. Actually, knowing that he wrote them probably means that he has a rule somewhere, stating that he can do blah blabbedy blah... Whenever or for whatever he sees fit.

"I'm going with her and that. Is. Final." His low voice grates against my ears and I have to grit my teeth in order to quell the persistent urge to just try and shut him up.

He glares at me coolly, before turning back to study the monitor screens.

No! I will not back down any longer. I have tolerated him for years, but for some reason the idea of him ordering me around right now and replacing me as the partner for Diana just yanks my chain the wrong way.

"No Batman. That is not final." My voice is steady and sure, a slight contrast to what I am really feeling at the moment. Very rarely does anyone go against what the Bat orders, and comes out alive.

He visibly freezes and whirls his chair around to face me.

I look down at him, trying to keep a hardened look on my face.

"J'onn already assigned me to accompany Di. Just because it is your city, it doesn't mean that you can push me aside whenever you want and replace me. You know us… You know me. We are NOT going to disrupt the order in Gotham and knowing that alone should be good enough for you. Apparently after all these years you still do not trust us."

I watch him closely, crossing my arms over my chest in defiance. The white slits in his cowl coldly narrow down to pinpricks. I just glare back equally as hard, while taking a menacing step forward.

Suddenly he is out of his chair- and with fists clenched, he also takes a step forward. This isn't only a struggle of wills over who is going, but a silent battle of our determination, stubbornness and perhaps pride. Neither of us wants to back down to the other. It'd be like a sign of weakness.

His voice drops down a couple of degrees, the tone of his words practically freeze the room.

"I can and I will. Besides Clark, don't you have other important things to do? I am sure this will just only free up your schedule to be with Lois." I just keep on glaring, my mouth tightening before I respond.

"A mission is a mission." I say flatly.

His eyes narrow even further in suspicion. What he doesn't know, or perhaps he already does, is that Lois and I broke up. With that situation in hand, there is no reason to go see her. Not now. Not if she doesn't even want to talk to me. I take a deep breath through my nose, preparing to try and somehow get myself out of this situation.

Apparently my luck has a change of heart.

Both of our eyes flicker toward the monitor doors at the same time, as they silently swish open, and none other than Diana herself walks in. I can't help the relaxing feeling that washes over me at her mere presence. She alone has the ability to do so, and by the way Bruce's fists uncoil, I can tell that he is just as equally affected.

Scanning the room, her eyes land on the two of us immediately. She abruptly stops right in the middle of the area, eyes us warily, then speaks.

"Am I interrupting something here?" She asks, looking at us strangely. I then realize how I and Bruce must look, and instantly try and force myself to relax further.

I open my mouth, preparing to come up with some elaborate, logical explanation as to why me and Batman look like we are about to rip each other's throats out, when Bruce beats me to the punch.

"Yes Princess you did. Now if you wouldn't mind. Clark and I have some unfinished business to attend to." He growls out fiercely, pinning his gaze on me.

I whip my head towards him and practically growl, not only surprising them, but myself also.

"There is no unfinished business left for us to talk about Bruce. I'm the one going, not you. Now get that through your thick head before I do!"

"Are you threatening me?" He says icily. It is said as more of a demand, than as a question.

"You are the detective. What do you think? Come on Bruce, use those brains of yours and figure it out." I say, mocking him slightly.

The conversation has become more heated, and our faces are now merely inches away from each other.

Suddenly I am shoved aside, and after a couple seconds I realize that Diana has forcefully wedged herself between us.

"What are you guys talking about?" She asks, confusion and bewilderment etched across her smooth features.

"Batsy and I were just discussing how he was going to leave, so that you and I can go on our mission that J'onn assigned us."

Batman scowls deeply at my use of Joker's deeply, Bat-hated, nickname.

I can't help but smirk at him.

"What? J'onn assigned us a mission? I wasn't informed." She remarks, giving me a sharp look.

Batman smirks as I look sheepishly at the floor.

"It looks like your argument doesn't stand. I won this round kryptonian. Sorry."

I grit my teeth in anger at the very word he used. The same "word" Darkseid uses to call me. No way is he truly _sorry_.

"Batman. Enough." Diana barks out disapprovingly.

"Burned by the Princess." I say pitching my voice to where it is barely audible, yet high enough for his high tech equipped ears in his cowl to pick it up.

I just so happen and forget that Diana's ears would also.

"That goes for you to Kal, and Batman don't you dare smirk again or so help me I will hang you both by the toes and leave you for Wally to find." She barks out threatingly.

That gets us to shut up. Momentarily at least.

"Now what is the problem with you two, and what does it have to do with J'onn?"

I inhale deeply and start speaking. The look that she is giving me, tells me that if I do otherwise, I most likely will receive the wrath of an Amazon. Which is something that I try to avoid at all costs.

"J'onn sent me a message, saying there was an intended robbery that was going to take place tonight at the Gotham City Museum. I told J'onn that I was going to tell you, hence the reason you did not know of the mission, but then Bruce here got wind of it, and decided that in all his dark glory he was going to kick me off of the mission and go himself."

Diana looks at Bruce pointedly.

"My city Princess." Is all that he has to say on the matter.

"Oh come on Bruce!" I holler.

"Clark! Don't push it!"

"All these years we've known each other."

"Get over yourself!"

"You're more paranoid than a bat! You know that?"

"Oh really Clark. What threw you off?"

"You know you're more like a… a… a genet. Yeah, they're very suspicious of everything."

"A Genet? Really Clark?"

"Excuse me. Perhaps I can help." Diana says, hands on her hips in a very regal form.

"No!" We both growl at her. Our anger at each other, being inadvertently transferred to her. Her face flushes angrily. It is a mixture of warm red hues, and light pink blooms of color. I can't help and realize that her mad blush, brings out the color of her intensely, blue eyes all the more.

"Well then. Since you men don't seem to think that a woman can help you with your issues, I will be leaving now. Goodbye." She comments harshly, and with a clipped tone.

"Diana…" I call out, but she is already half way out of the door.

"Great now we have an angry Amazon on our hands." I mutter under my breath, before sending a glare in Bruce's direction. The way his lips are thinned, indicates that he to realizes, the gravity of this situation.

**End of Flashback.**

The sound of Diana's voice breaks me out of my reverie. We eventually had gotten Diana to calm down after our dispute. It took a lot of work, but we finally got here... All three of us... together.

I release an inaudible sigh and close my eyes briefly. I can sense that something is going to happen. Something dangerous and unexpected. I just don't know what it is yet.

Soon I am occupied with a certain question that the Amazon next to me asks, and everything else is momentarily forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3 Circe

**Edited: Yes!**

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**Chapter 3 is up!**

**I just want to thank Skywolf16 for reviewing my story; I'm going to be honest. I was sort of excited when I saw that it got reviewed. So readers please review.**

**On with the show!**

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Landing lightly next to Bruce, I take in the appearance of someone whom we clearly were not expecting.

"Just a common thief. What happened to Intergang?" I muse out loud.

"J'onn must have gotten a bad tip. It happens." He explains shortly, before taking an intimidating step forward. Wasting no time in pleasantries, he continues to stare down hard at the criminal. With a sharp rasps, he addresses the thief.

"I'll take the crowbar." I raise a brow, and give him a sidelong glance. In a way his comment surprises me. Batman making small talk. Very, _very_ rare. Usually he just goes in and brings the villain down for the count. Perhaps a little begging or crying here and there, that he succeeds in making happen, the occasional broken bone, or painful fractured wrist. All of these signs, are well known signature moves accomplished by the Bat. Talking though? Not at all common.

Curiously I sneak another glance at him from the corner of my eye. He is stock still, yet with my enhanced hearing, I cannot miss the slight, almost silent, sound of metal slicing through the air, as he subtly extracts a batarang from his belt.

Understanding dawns on me, and I do not fail to realize that this is just another one of Batman's ways.

Distract, then strike.

An unusual tactic to conducted by him in order to keep his opponents, and _even_ his own comrades, a little unbalanced. Still, distraction can be a very useful tool and he sure as well knows it.

The thief just smiles smugly at him in an immediate response, while simultaneously cocking a perfectly rounded hip. Her vocal response is sultry and full of intended meaning. I dislike her immediately. In fact, I have a tendency to dislike any female criminal who intentionally decide to flirt with the male superheroes. Batman and Superman are the main ones.

"Whatever you say, Batboy." She remarks with a purr like tone. Hefting the crowbar up over her shoulder, she throws it quick, and hard, aiming straight for Bruce's head. Mid-flight the crowbar unexpectedly morphs into a hissing rattlesnake. It's beady eyes narrow in anger, the white of its fangs gleam viciously in the night-time glow. It is a snake intent on making its kill.

Luckily Bruce has amazing reflexes, and thankfully manages to dodge the flying creature's deadly blow, within the nick of time.

The woman gives an exaggerated fake pout of disappointment.

"That trick always went over big in Egypt." She whines, before spinning in a graceful twirl and reappearing as…

"Circe." I growl out fiercely, clenching my fists angrily. I should have known. Of all the villains, why did it have to be her? The fates are defiantly testing me at this very hour.

Two more batarangs fly through the air, only to be turned into two harmless doves, with a single flick of Circe's wrist.

"That it for you?" She questions with a bored tone.

"What are you doing here witch? You were banished." I hiss between clenched teeth. She eyes me with those eyes of hers and smiles. As if she has an intriguing story to share with me.

"They needed more space down below, so they paroled me. Of course, I had to promise to leave your mommy dearest alone before they would let me out." She remarks, somewhat unhappily.

My eyes narrow to slits as I recall the purpose of her "banishment."

"Mother sent her to the pits of Tartarus. Circe had a nasty habit of turning innocent people into animals."

"I'm real good at it to." She replies with an amused grin.

"So I've read. Let's not give her another chance." Bruce growls out, speaking for the first time since Circe had revealed herself.

We both rush forward, determined to take her down, but before we can come within a few feet of her, a powerful blast knocks us both back against a brick wall. My head snaps back, colliding with the rough surface. Fragments of brick, litter my hair and face. My right shoulder, throbs slightly from the multiple scrapes that are lightly bleeding. A slight fog begins to fill my head, and I can only faintly see her walk towards me.

Out of nowhere, and without warning, a giant hand made purely from concrete stone grips me, squeezing the living day lights out of me, as it holds me up in the air like a rag doll.

"I promised to leave your mother alone little princess, but nobody said anything about you. Rest assured, after I get done with you Hippolyta won't want you for a daughter, and your pointy eared boyfriend here won't want you for anything."

"Oh no you don't!" A familiar voice growls out. A red and blue blur rushes past me, slamming itself into Circe and knocking her halfway across the alleyway.

Thankfully the concrete hand loses its stone grip around my lower torso, allowing me to freely breath in a lung full of air. Gasping for breath, I manage to choke out a few words and speak.

"About time... Kal. What took... you so long?"

He doesn't answer me though; instead his eyes are trained slowly on the rising form of Circe.

"Two boyfriends!" She breathes out with a small chuckle. "My, my Diana." She hakes her head. "I never thought that you had it in you. What would mommy think? If she knew that you were "going around." She twirls her right index finger in the air to emphasize her intended meaning.

Kal's face is angry, and irritated, a perfect match to my own.

"Enough!" He growls out, stepping forward. I hover up off the ground, prepared to aid him.

"Ah, ah, ah." Circe says tauntingly, while turning away from me to once again face him.

"You're Superman. the man whom so happens to be a Kryptonian. Right hot stuff? That means you are vulnerable to magic. Correct?" She doesn't wait for a reply of any sort. "I would hate for you to find out what this bad boy can do." She purrs evilly, while producing a six inch long dagger out of thin air and a single puff of smoke.

Kal visibly pales and takes a couple steps away. It may not be a very big weapon, but he knows as well as I do, that a blade that sharp has the potential to easily cut a major artery.

Beside me, I hear Bruce struggle slightly as he gets up. A few chunk is of stone had landed on him. I wince as I spot a trickle of blood flowing down from his mouth, but other than that, he looks aright. His eyes instantly narrow dangerously as he takes in the sight before him.

Circe eyes both men curiously, before a sudden spark enters her eyes. I eye her with distrust. Nothing good ever comes out of being Circe's center of attention.

She taps a manicured nail against her chin thoughtfully, before her gaze lands on me.

"Diana, you leave me no choice. Originally I had planned on doing something to you, but I now realize that what I am about to do now... will be far better."

She bows low, mocking me with fake respect.

"Your Highness, it was such a pleasure speaking with you."

Striking her hand forward, a bright light emits out of nowhere, yet everywhere wall at once.

I crash backward once again, striking my head hard on a steel edged corner. It is not enough to hurt me terribly, but a pain explodes behind my eyes, and everything momentarily turns black.

I blink my eyes hard, trying to refocus my disorientated vision. I shake my head, and instantly regret doing so as it throbs in pain. Finally, my vision slowly returns, and I look around, finding Circe to be nowhere in sight.

_Dammit! She got away._

Quickly pushing myself up off of the ground, I scan the area, searching for Batman and Superman.

After a quick once over, and finding nothing in sight, I am positive that they are not here. _What had happened to them? Did they go after her? Or worse... Did she hurt them?_

Jamming my finger into my earpiece, I call out urgently. "Batman? Superman? Do either of you read me?"

No answer, just dead silence.

_No, no, no, no, no! What did that blasted witch do? One minute they were here and now? Now they are gone. Did she take them? Let's face it, she could of if she had wanted to. All that talk of revenge on mother, through the use of me. There is no knowing what she would do to try and accomplish that. Besides Bruce is only human and Kal? Kal is vulnerable to magic, of any sort._

_Oh. Hera help me. _With each escalating thought, I begin to subconsciously rise higher and higher off of the ground. with a slight start, I realize that I am now 15 feet up into the air, and still escalating. I let out a frustrated cry and whip myself sharply around to face the east side of the city. I freeze, as during that sudden motion, I spotted out of the corner of my vision, a slight movement.

Whipping myself around once more, I find myself looking down at two very powerful, very annoyed tigers.

_Oh no. Please don't let it be true._

"Bruce...?" I call out hesitantly.

Not a slight acknowledgement from either of them.

_Then again, Bruce is Bruce._

"Kal…?" I try once more. My heart sinks slightly as one of them sits up straight and looks me dead in the eye. My lips tighten at the sight of clear, blue, piercing eyes.

That is when I know, without a doubt, that it is Kal. The beloved Man of Steel, trapped within the body of a white tiger.

I rub the bridge of my nose while lowering myself slowly back down to the ground.

"And you must be Bruce." I state out loud, landing next to the black, muscular, tiger.

My stomach drops at the sight of his hard, emerald-green gaze.

"Yup, that is you alright." I sigh out tiredly.

"Great. Now you're a rich tiger with issues, lots of issues. As if it wasn't bad enough before." I mumble lowly To myself.


	4. Chapter 4 Watchtower

**Edited: Yup! :) P.S. I've decided to leave Chapter 5 alone, so you can go ahead and read that. :D Thanks!**

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**First off I want to thank Kipling Bunny, HarimaHige and Kit chan for the reviews! And thanks to everyone else who reads my story. I appreciate it. :) This chapter was a bit iffy for me, but you guys tell me what you think. Well anyways on with the story. I hope you enjoy!**

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Fifteen minutes later, I find myself standing next to J'onn, as we both observe our newly transformed teammates.

"What happened to them?" J'onn asks while watching a restless Kal jump up and down from a freshly made medical bed.

There was no time for me to explain what had happened over the comm. link.

The Link is a connection that is accessible to all of the other leaguers, so long as they had their comm. links in their possession. This means that any League member is easily able to listen in on any conversation if their comm. so happened to be activated.

It is prohibited to do so once you no longer were participating in a mission -whereas it would be required of you to be tuned in at all times- but you never could be too sure. I didn't want this incident with Bruce and Kal to get out. Hence the purpose of hiding away in the secluded area of the medic bay patient room.

"The mission is what happened. It was supposed to be Intergang, but we came across someone far worse. Circe. "

He remains unmoving and I take this as my cue to continue onward with my explanation.

"As you can plainly see, Circe turned them into big cats." I point out tiredly. "For what reason, I am not completely sure. I can only guess that it somehow involves a plan in which she gets back at my Mother." I huff out, my voice taking on a hard tone.

_When I get my hands on her…_

"Diana. Please try and control your anger. It is…

Giving me a slight headache."

I shoot him an apologizing glance while also trying to suppress my overwhelming thoughts.

"What are we supposed to J'onn? They very well cannot take care of themselves, much less be left alone." J'onn opens his mouth to speak, but hesitates as he feels both Kal's and Bruce's hard gazes on him, while they listen intently.

He motions for me to follow him with a slight inclination of his head. Trailing after him, he soon leads me out of the enclosed room, and into the empty hallway. I begin to tap the toe of my right boot against the floor anxiously as I await his answer.

"First we must contact Zatanna. Perhaps her knowledge in the mystic arts can aid us in our current dilemma."

Placing my hands on my hips, I nod in agreement.

"Yes, but what are we to do with them in the meantime?"

"Knowing that you don't want knowledge of Batman and Superman's transformation spreading, the only possible thing to do right now, is to subject them to your care." My lips tighten, yet I nod curtly in understanding. He continues to speak.

"I find that in the current state Superman and Batman are in, their more animal like instincts have taken over a major part of their brain. They still have their former human memories and ways of processing situations, but their instincts overpower that easily."

I breathe a sigh through my nose, and rub my temples subconsciously. He places a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"I know that out of all the league members, you are the one who can handle them both at the same time."

I smile at him warmly.

"Thanks J'onn, just- find Zatanna, and quick please."

He nods in return before phasing through the floor, and returning to his station in the monitor room.

_"Diana, you can do this. Bruce and Kal would do the same for you. Besides, nothing can go wrong." _I think to myself. Then I add "_Hopefully."_

Two pairs of eyes land on me as I walk through the medic door. I can feel both of their gazes instantly zone in on me as I walk past them, and toward the window. They are waiting for what will happen next, same as I.

I take a moment to marvel at the beauty of the stars as they twinkle against the black color of space, to enjoy the momentary peace and quite. It is not long before that disappears. The sound of nails tapping lightly against the marble floor alerts me to movement, and I turn around in time to see Kal slowing making was way towards me.

"Kal, what's wrong?" I ask softly, kneeling down in front of him to scratch underneath his chin.

He places his heavy paw on my knee, and groans slightly, his jaw opening and closing as if he were speaking. My brows furrow slightly, and I pretend to not understand what it is that he is trying to tell me.

"Are you tired? Bored?"

He shakes his head and proceeds to lick his snout hungrily.

"You're hungry?" His head jerks up, and he blinks at me innocently. I smile and begin to head toward the door.

Giving the hallway a once over, I am satisfied to find that, it is at the moment still empty of any members.

"Alright, you guys follow me" I say, signaling them tcoexist through the door. "And you better behave." I add sternly.

* * *

Another ten minutes go by, and I find myself rummaging through the wooden cupboards for any, and all kinds of food. Unsurprisingly I find nothing of the sort. Darn Flash and his 'metabolism.' He almost always left nothing for the rest of us leaguers to eat.

"Bruce, once this is over we really need to talk about a full time cook." I mumble to him absentmindedly, while continuing my search for food. Kal comes up behind me slowly, and butts his head against my lower back for the fifth time.

"I know, I know." I say frustratingly. "But there seems to be no food."

My eyes rove the cabinets once more, before I move unto the fridge.

"What about salad, or some broccoli?" I question, peering at him over my shoulder. He snorts in protest while backing away.

"I hear you, no vegetables for the mighty Kal. What about you Bruce? Up for eating something green?" He just stares at me, unemotional and unmoving. Quirking a brow at him, I proceed to close the Refrigerator door before a red blur materializes right in front of the cafeteria entrance.

"Hey Di! I was wonderin-…"

_"Oh Hera help me. Not Flash. Not now."_

Flash takes one good look at Kal and Bruce before jumping up in the air, and backing away slowly.

"Whoa Di!? What is with the bad kitties? When I said that you should get a pet, I meant something more like a dog or… or even a cat –if your into felines that is. But NOT two _Tigers_!" He adds his voice pitching upward a little in exasperation.

"I know what you meant Flash. Don't worry they are not my pets." I say crossing my arms across my chest, and smiling at him wanly.

"Good, then why are they here?.."

"With you?..."

"In the cafeteria?..." He asks a bit incredulously.

I breathe in deeply, trying to come up with something believable. Something... I wince slightly... Like a lie. I hesitate before forcing the words through my clenched teeth.

"Princess Kasnia... asked me... to take care of them... for her." I force a smile, and hiss lowly as the lasso begins to burn my thigh.

He raises his eyebrows, and I can tell that he doesn't believe me, yet thankfully he doesn't question me further.

"Oh. Ok then that's… nice of you." He rubs the back of his neck, as if he felt a little awkward at the moment.

"Was there something that you wanted Wally?" I ask him, hoping to already be sending him on his way. No one was suppose to see the Tigers.

"Oh yeah I wanted to know… if… if… you had seen Bats around." He whispers the last part as his eyes dart toward the dark, shadowed corners of the room a little fearfully.

I shake my head, another lie, and relief floods his face.

"Phew! Alright then, if you see him, and he's angry, just say that I didn't do anything wrong. Because... he always listens to you and takes what you say into deep consideration." He gives me a thumb up, and a big smile. I cock an eyebrow at him questioningly, and he blushes while looking at the floor. I smirk at him in response. _Oh Wally... _

Then suddenly... he freezes.

"Why is he looking at me like that?" He asks nervously.

"Who?"

"Him." He points directly at Bruce.

Quickly I glance at him and find him standing rigidly, sending a death glare in the direction of Wally.

"No reason." I say quickly, stepping in front of Bruce uneasily. It doesn't matter what I say to Bruce now, Wally's already in trouble. He just doesn't know it yet.

"He's just hungry." Which is technically... true... Flash lets out a nervous squeak in alarm.

"Alright then, good luck feeding them. I gotta go. Bye." And with that he is gone. Only a small whirlwind of forgotten papers mark his previous presence in the room.

_Thank Hera._ Letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding, I turn around and look down at Batman.

"Bruce." I scowl at him. "You heard him, he didn't do it." He doesn't move, and I can practically hear the wheels turning in his head as he forms ideas of what Wally has done this time and on how he is going to get him back.

_Yeah Wally's doomed alright._

Deciding to ignore him at the moment, I turn back to the fridge. Finally fed up with searching, I grab a container filled with some unknown meat substance and warm it up in the microwave.

"Here you guys go." I say, placing two dishes on the floor where they can easily reach it.

A hot wet tongue glides over the palm of my hand, tickling it lightly. I smile at Kal's way of thanking me and I rub the area behind his ear, causing him to lean into my touch and purr slightly in pleasure.

"You're welcome." I say lightly, my eyes flickering over to Bruce. His ears are slightly pulled back as he watches me and Kal intently.

Kal's fur on the back of his neck stands on end as he feels Bruce's hard gaze on him. Lifting his head he glares back equally as hard, and gives off a low growl in warning.

My brows furrow a bit at this silent battle of wills, and I straighten up to my full height. Realizing that my movement doesn't affect them one bit, I snap at them sternly.

"Behave you two!"

Kal's gaze flickers to me, successfully breaking eye contact with Bruce. At my own glare, he lowers his head somewhat sheepishly before returning to his plate of food. Bruce's ears flicker in my direction, the only physical sign that indicates he heard me at all. Apparently content at the moment, he to turns to his meal.

I just give them a look before walking away and once again rummaging through the refrigerator in search of a meal for myself.


	5. Chapter 5 Stymphalian birds

**First off a round of applause to Skillgannon The Damned, Viri24, Ni Castle, and Violet Dusk who all reviewed. Big thanks to those who have continued to review over these last few chapters. **

**Alright I know that you guys were wondering if Zatanna would make an appearance. Well, in the last chapter you learned that she most likely will and shall. You also may be wondering whether or not Superman would still have his powers as a tiger and let me just say that you will find out in this chapter.**

**5… 4… 3… 2… 1…**

**Read on! **

The steel hallway corridor echoes with the sound of the heel of my boots mixed with eight pairs of clawed feet tapping along the floor.

My destination: unknown

It hadn't taken long for them both to finish eating, and soon after that they became restless. So restless that they unbelievingly had started to chew the legs of the cafeteria seats. I had to get them out before they fully destroyed all the chairs. And I really didn't want to stick around to explain why someone's seat broke after they had only just sat down.

So now here I am, aimlessly wandering the halls of the watchtower with Bruce walking steadily on my left, and Kal dutifully taking my right.

Looking down at Kal my thoughts begin to wander. So far Kal hadn't displayed any sign of having his powers. He seemed to have the strength and speed of a regular tiger. Perhaps since magic was the cause of his transformation it was also responsible for suppressing his regular power? It was only a guess but it was the best explanation I could come up with. To be honest, I feel relieved that he isn't Meta at the moment. Dealing with these two is already enough work, although I know that I could handle Kal with his powers if I had to, it is so much easier to not have to.

"_Diana you are needed in New York immediately." _The words ring clearly in my head and it takes me a slight moment to realize that is J'onn communicating with me telepathically.

I stop abruptly, earning curious looks them, even from Bruce.

"_Why? What's wrong?" _I ask mentally.

"_There have been reports of man-eating birds raiding the area. The city is in panic and there is no one else to assist. I'm afraid that Superman and Batman are your only back-up." _

"_Alright then, I'll- we'll be at the transport bay soon. Prepare to send us down."_

"_Will do." _

I hover off of the floor slightly, before looking down at both of them.

"Looks like we are going on another mission." I begin to fly away down the hall. "Hopefully, nothing life changing happens during this one." I mumble lowly.

In no time J'onn sends us down and we are greeted with the sight of shredded cars and street signs littering the streets.

A loud screech erupts from behind me and I spin around in time to spy a whole fleet of shining birds coming my way. I recognize them immediately. Stymphalian birds. Found sacred by the one and only Ares.

What was it with them? First Circe, now Ares. Who was next? Hades? I did know one thing for sure though. Ares was definitely going to pay for his wickedness.

They come down swift and fast, their bronze beaks open wide to devour any flesh in their path. Both Bruce and Kal stiffen next to me, preparing for battle.  
Instinctively I raise my bracelets to try and protect myself from the impact, but I still manage get knocked down by the sheer numbers that swarm me.

I can faintly hear the roars of both Bruce and Kal as they try and fend off the hideous creatures. And I pray silently that they will be able to hold their own against them.

Their long talons pull against my hair with enough force to tear off chunks. The stinging sensation of the cuts and scratches created from their beaks as they cut bits of my flesh off is agonizingly annoying.

With a warrior cry that would make any Amazon proud, I grab the creature in front of me by its long taloned feet and whirl it around knocking down any beast in my path.

"Kal up high!" I yell, and with one last heave I fling the bird into the air, directly toward him.

Lifting his head from his current victim, he runs forward and launches himself into the air with the use of his powerful hind legs. Crashing fiercely into his target.

I watch as both he and his prey role around in the dirt as they fight. I wince as the wings of the bird pierce his body drawing some blood. But Kal is strong and soon he has it pinned to the ground. Dutifully he sinks his teeth into its neck, ending it permanently and swiftly.

A sudden weight knocks into me from behind. Unprepared for the attack, I lose my balance and tumble downward.

The creature manages to pin me beneath him, digging his talons deep into the flesh of my shoulders and nicking the bone. I can't help the slight moan that escapes from my lips due to the sharp pain.

The hideous monster screeches in victory, before lifting his head high and opening its wings wide. The feathers shine dully in the sun as they come down hard and fast, to make the final blow.

A thunderous roar erupts from out of nowhere.

A dark presence leaps forward, catching the filthy creature in his claws and tackling him halfway across the street. I grit my teeth as the force of the blow causes the talons to rip from my body, tearing large chunks of flesh from my body.

A violent struggle begins as Bruce ferociously attacks the demonic animal.

Talons against claws.

Beak against fangs.

Talons and beak have no chance.

With one final blow, Bruce puts the screeching beast out of its misery.

Slowly he turns. His face is filled with deep scratches and blood trickles down and around his snout. His eyes find mine and even though he isn't speaking, I can see the concern in them. I blink and it is gone. Replaced once again with the usual cool indifference that Batman is so well known for. I nod my head in thanks and slowly stand, careful not to irritate any cuts too badly.

They should heal in no time, but it doesn't mean that they still don't hurt.

Turning around I spy Kal making his way around the multitude of dead Stymphalians lying on the ground. Blood covers the whole side of his body and I hover forward to kneel next to him.

Parting his fur I check the injuries, only to find that there are none. Confused I check him over once again, and don't find a single scratch. I frown thoughtfully, could it be that he still did have some of his powers? Mainly his healing ability?

Patting his back lightly I stand and glance at Bruce who has come to stand next to Kal. I do a double take. The scratches that were moments ago all over his face are now gone. That is even more confusing. Bruce didn't have any abilities before he became a tiger.

That could only mean one thing. Circe was responsible for this. For some reason she made sure that both Bruce and Kal wouldn't die easily. She _wants _them to stay alive.

She has a plan of some sort. I just don't know what it is.

_Yet._

Distractedly I touch my ear and tap my comm. link, allowing me to talk with J'onn.

"Job's all done J'onn; I just need a little help with clean-up. Can you transport the crew?"

"Well done Diana. The crew should be down soon." I nod my head even though he can't see it and begin to create a pile on the side of the road made up of the dead creatures.

Moments later the crew dissolves in the middle of the street, armed from head to toe in scrubs, gloves and masks. It is required for them to do so since they were all human and were liable to catching diseases of all sorts.

A young man who looks to be about twenty steps away from the crowd and addresses me directly.

"Where do you want us Wonder Woman?"

"Right now I want you all along this street." I reply "I have already begun to clear some of this area. I want you all to continue to do so and keep on adding the beasts to this pile." I point to the growing mound on my left. "Once we have gathered them all up, we will begin to clear the debris."

With a nod toward me, he turns around and begins to bark orders. I watch as he efficiently splits his team into two groups. One group goes with him and the others are with me. After that everything goes by in a blur.

Seven hours later:

I Punch in the code for my room, and tiredly walk through my open door, almost missing Zatanna as I head for the shower.

At my entrance she rises from the chair that I had placed in the corner of my room and smiles at me before raising a brow at my appearance.

"J'onn said that you needed my help. I hope you don't mind but when I came you were gone- something about man-eating birds- so I took the liberty of waiting in your room until you got back." She explains quickly.

Wordlessly I nod my head, relief flooding me at her presence.

_I just hope that she can help, and then perhaps whatever Circe is planning can be over with once and for all._

"So what is it that you need help with?" She asks, cocking a hip and waiting patiently for my answer.

Silently I step aside from where I stand only to reveal the two tigers that were at the time trailing after me.

Apparently bored with me standing in the way during the time that I was talking with Zatanna, they decided to take a little nap, well at least Kal did. His eyes are halfway closed and heavy with sleep while Bruce's are hard and cold.

I watch as Zatanna's eyes widen at the sight of seeing two very _live _very _fierce_ looking tigers in the hallway.

Her eyes rove over their bodies in wonder.

"What seems to be the prob…?" She lets her sentence hang in the air as her eyes instantly lock with those of the black tiger.

Zatanna has known Batman long enough to have seen his eyes and can very well recognize him easily.

"Is that…?" She asks in slight horror.

Once again, all I do is nod.

Her voice instantly hardens.

"Who did this?"

I sigh and take a seat on the edge of my bed.

"Circe." I say the word through my gritted teeth. Zatanna knowing full well the social circle in the art of magic lets out a low groan of disgust.

I don't need to explain any further. She knows all she needs to know about Circe already. Sighing she eyes Kal and Bruce a little doubtfully.

"You want me to try and reverse their current forms to their original forms. Don't you?" She states out loud.

Repressing another sigh, I turn to look at her. "Yes I do."

She nods her head in understanding and her lips thin with determination. "I'll try and do my best. But other than that there's not much I can do."  
"That's fine. We just… Need to try and do something."

And with those last words she lifts her hands and starts working her magic.


	6. Chapter 6 Diana

**Have I gone over this chapter already?: Yes!**

* * *

**Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't updated as fast as I had hoped to. This week has been very busy. So I have decided to make this chapter even longer than any of the others. I would like to thank Kipling Bunny, Ni Castle, and Kita chan for commenting and/or reviewing. I hope you enjoy this chapter; it goes deeper into Diana's thoughts. Don't forget to review!**

* * *

"lamron ot nruter" A puff of smoke, yet nothing happens.

"won ssecorp esrever" A flash of light, yet there are no desired 'sparks.'

"won odnu!" She commands with a growl.

"namuh emoceb!" "kcab tfihs!" "mrof larutan ot nruter!" "regnol on regit a eb!"

Hissing the words out angrily, she shouts them out, one right after the other, in rapid fire. Still that does not give us the desired results.

It has been two hours. Two hours in which Zatanna has tried, with the upmost determination, to return the tigers back, to once again being Bruce and Kal.

I watch her, a little worried as she hunches slightly over, panting and annoyed beyond her limit. Shaking her head she angrily mutters incoherent things about goddesses, and their magical tricks.

Straightening, she looks to me apologetic.

"I'm sorry Di, but I gave it all I got, and nothing seems to work." She rubs her temples. "I even tried casting my own spell – you know to like turn them into frogs or whatever- but that didn't work either. I mean whatever spell Circe cast on them she did it good. So good in fact, that only she has the ability to reverse their form."

I can feel my lips tighten irritatingly in response to the last segment of her news. Knowing that, further proves my theory. Circe has something cooking up in that head of hers, and whatever it is; I know it's not good. The image of her eyes, as she looked at me before changing both Batman and Superman, flash through my mind.

My stomach falls slightly.

The sight of Kal pacing the room lazily brings me out of my burdened thoughts.

Shaking my head, I move to stand next to Zatanna.

"It's alright Zi. At least you tried. Because of you, we now know that _we_ can't reverse... this." I wave my hand slightly around, to indicate both tigers.

"So what now?" She asks quietly.

"Now, we go to plan B." I reply

She looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue. Taking a deep breath, I once more look down at my two tigers. Bruce lifts his head, and gazes back at me steadily.

"We find Circe." I say determinedly.

Zatanna shifts next to me and places a well-manicured nail on her chin thoughtfully.

"Now that's something I may be able to help you with."

I raise a brow at her, and she quickly continues to give an explanation.

"Let me check and see if one of my 'providers' is in town. If he is, then more than likely, I can complete a locator spell."

"When you do find out, please contact J'onn. I don't know how much longer I can stay up here on the Watchtower with these two. Right now it is fine since the place is almost empty, due to the fact that practically every league member is assisting with clean-up in the Andromeda Galaxy. I know that they will be back soon though, and I can't have them pent up here in my room forever."

I breathe out a sigh. "What am I going to do with them?"

"You can't make up some story." She asks. I smirk.

"You know how bad I am at lying; I already tried that with Wally."

"Really? What did you say?" She asks, genuine curiosity etched across her features.

"Let's just say it involved the Princess of Kasnia."

"Well what's wrong with that? It's not a whole lie, you do know her."

"How many people do you think will believe that Princess Audrey owns two tigers?" I raise a brow at her. "Come to think of it, she even publicly admitted that she couldn't keep her fish alive." I add dryly.

Zatanna chuckles in amusement, then her eyes light up with an idea.

"What about the embassy?" She exclaims, snapping her fingers for emphasis. "Surely you have a private room there that's big enough for them."

I shake my head.

"It is under reconstruction because of that last fight with Cheetah. She did extensive damage to the place."

Zatanna pouts slightly, at the fact that her solution, isn't very much a solution.

"Oh well, I'm sure you'll come up with something. You always do."

I smile wanly at her. I only hope she's right.

"I've got to go Di. I have a show to host soon. Gotta make money one way or another, not all of us are lucky enough to come from a royal blood line." I chuckle at that statement, and wrap her in a hug before taking a step back.

She tips her hat at me, and with a puff of smoke, she is gone.

My smile disappears.

* * *

Thoughts are swirling in my head. I feel deeply irritated, and frustrated all at once, and that in itself annoys me. I can't help it though. The stress has been building up over the months. The feelings of pain, anger, betrayal, confusion, and loneliness have been eating away at my insides ever so slowly.

I never have shown it. I have remained my controlled, fierce, compassionate, strong, and confident self. I have masked every problem and situation that has arisen lately. To everyone else I seem and act just the same as I always have. No one suspects anything. And if anyone did, they would automatically assume that I was unaffected by these problems. I am an Amazon after all, a power head Meta, an almost invulnerable superhero which means that I can handle anything and everything. That is what everyone knows and sees. They wouldn't understand. They forget that although I am an Amazon, I have in a way, become human. I will always be a descendant from the ancient race of Woman Warriors, always be fierce in keeping up the good fight, always be fearless in the face of danger, and always be strong in the way of my beliefs.

Still that does not change the fact that this world _has_ changed me, softened me in ways I could not imagine.

Hence the reason for masking this… this… uncertainty, frustration and pain. But I can only keep the mask up for so long. There are times when it cracks, splinters and breaks. Exposing me for the entire world to see. That is why I make sure to only let it happen in private. That way no one will know that something is wrong.

I glance up and realize that I have subconsciously led myself to the observation room. I gaze through the glass window that practically fills up the entire wall space, and my eyes soften slightly at the sight before me. The earth is tilted, spinning slowly as it rotates around the sun. The darkness of space clashes with the bright blue hue of our world, creating a marvelous site. This world is my home. It has had a hand in creating a different path of thinking for me, and for the way I see men. I still believe that they can be foolish, stubborn and at times power hungry. But I have also seen the other side of them. The compassionate, and caring side. Their thoughtfulness, strength and steel like will that they possess.

Knowing this is a gift and in a way a…

Curse.

There is no way that I can remain as naive as I once was before. I have come to know the good side, but I cannot always get to experience the good without the bad.

My throat tightens as one name pops into my head uninvited.

Tom.

He was such a good man. He was everything a woman wanted, and looked for in a male companion. He was tall, blonde, smart, handsome, funny, and caring. He was close to being the perfect specimen.

It was all just an illusion. A show that he played to ensure that I'd get reeled in. I found out later what kind of man he truly was after walking in on him and his lady 'friend.'

I can remember the morning clear as day. It was beautiful, warm and sunny. All was right with the world. At least it was until I swung that door open. Time seemed to freeze as I had taken in the site before me.

There, on my own living room couch, sat two people. Giggles and whispered conversations filled the air as I watched on horrified. Anger boiled within me, yet I wasn't able to move. I had no control over my own limbs, thoughts or emotions. The handle on the door crumpled under my clenched fingers.

"Tom!" I roared out, as soon as I had found my voice, and was able to speak.

The 'couple' jumped apart, terrified. His head jerked up instantly, and confusion flickered across his face as he peered at me stupidly. Once the fog of confusion had lifted from his eyes, he quickly jerked his head back to the women beside him, and panicked. He jumped up off of the couch, as if it were on fire.

"Nice try Tom, but I think not." I say through clenched teeth, already knowing that he was desperately seeking a reasonable explanation for all of this.

Through narrowed eyes I glared harshly at the women. She was familiar. I immediately remembered her from the grocery store that I and Tom had so frequently shopped at.

"Get. Out." I said through gritted teeth. Seemingly faster than flash, she jumped from the couch, grabbed her purse and flowers from the floor and ran through the front door, making sure to close it behind her swiftly.

That's when I finally felt my heart break… for the second time.

I had broken up with him quickly after that. The break-up was brutal. At least it was for me and him. Not once in our relationship had we argued so fiercely. There was no holding back during this one, we fought, argued, and screamed at each other.

Once I mentioned that we were through, he became furious, and unreasonably so. He couldn't believe what I was saying. He argued that I wasn't thinking straight, that I didn't know what I was saying. When I replied back, saying that I was a hundred percent sure of what I was doing, he back-handed me across the face.

That led to him gaining a black eye, some bruises, and a broken wrist. As far as I was concerned, he deserved that, and more.

He got off lucky.

The following week had been painful for me. That had been the first real relationship I had ever been in. To find out that my boyfriend really was a lying two-faced pig rather than a sweet honest gentleman had put me in a sour mood.

I hid the pain well. No one found out the reason behind the break-up. When asked I would only reply with a "just didn't work out" speech and a slight shrug. It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't a very detailed explanation. Nothing more, nothing less, and they accepted it believably.

Kal doesn't even know the reason behind the break-up._ "I have yet to tell him." _

I release a heavy sigh, and rub the bridge of my nose absentmindedly. I _was_ going to tell him. Up there on the roof, I had made a decision to do so. I had planned for things to go smoothly, I had agreed to have a sit down with him, to talk, and to confess all of these emotions, and insecurities. Of all the people I know here non earth, there is only a selective few that I can truly express my inner feelings to. Kal is one of them.

It would have seen so much easier to lessen the burden of all of... this. To share my secrets with someone I care for, and trust. Yet the fates choose to make my path all the more difficult.

Then there is Bruce. I haven't uttered a single word to him about the break-up either. I don't even believe that he's even figured out himself yet. If he has, he hasn't shown any indication of knowing. He could very well track Tom down and get all the information he needs from him, but deep down, I think that he's waiting for me. Waiting for me to tell him on my own, when I am good and ready. This wouldn't seem so bad, in fact it'd be kind of sweet, only in the sense of me knowing what his true intentions were for this plan of action. I can't know for sure on whether he intends to berate me for my choice in men, or something else that I am not yet sure about.

Bruce.

Now that is another matter entirely by itself. _Don't even go there. _I warn myself.

I breathe in deeply, closing my eyes and resting my forehead against the cool glass. If only there was a place I could go to, where I could escape all of this.

All these problems and hardships weigh heavy on me once more, and there is no one left to share my burden.

Not my mother.

Not my Sisters.

Defiantly not Tom.

Not even J'onn.

Being a Telepath, he has enough on his plate. I couldn't bring myself to burden him even more.

Banishment. One word yet it threatens to bring tears to my eyes. I clench my fists, digging my nails deep into the palms of my hands. Tears. They are the enemy. If I let them fall, they will never stop. I will break down, and right now I need to stay pieced together. It's not the banishment that hurts me the most. No. It is a big part, but there is even a bigger reason. My queen is the person to have had exiled me. She is my queen, yes, but she is also my mother. I had thought that she at least would have shown something, an ounce of emotion, a reaction of some sort.

But no.

As the words left her lips, her eyes remained blank. Her voice uncaring, her motions, stiff and formal. One word she said, and I was doomed to never step on my homeland, never able to see the faces of my sisters or family, ever again. It wasn't what she had said that hurt me, as much as what she didn't say.

During the private time that she personally escorted me off of the Island, she could have said something, but she didn't. We parted as a Queen and her warrior, not as a mother and her daughter.

Bowing to her in respect, I looked up into her eyes, and only saw disappointment. That was all she had cared to reveal to me, and that was the third time my heart broke.

My eyes snap open, and I back away from the glass. Anger surges through my very being, and I feel the need to release some pent up energy.

I pull my arm back; my fist clenched even harder than before, and punch forward.

I can feel the wall break beneath my knuckles. Swiftly I wrench my arm free, and wince at the size of the hole that I have just created. Pieces of steel and dry wall fall to the ground in a heap, and once again, I sigh. Another mess in my life.

Backing away, I once again, let my gaze fall upon that of earth. So seemingly peaceful, and calm, but within it lays chaos, hate and pain.

Tightening my lips into a thin line, I whirl around abruptly, and fly down back the corridor, not noticing the dark, black, tail twitching silently in the shadowed corner.

* * *

With a soft hiss my door slides open. After the visit to the observation window, I had decided to head to the simulation room. I felt tired, exhausted and worn out, yet in a way... I also felt... refreshed. I move to my bed, and lie down on the mattress with a soft moan of delight.

Kal moves to the carpet on the floor next to my bed. He settles himself comfortably, before placing his head on his paws. Reaching over, I scratch his head.

He purrs happily, and I smile at him lazily, before reaching my right hand outward, and switching off the lamp light with a light click. Closing my eyes, I feel the growing sensation of eyes boring unto me. Cracking an eye open, I immediately spot two green eyes glowing in the dark, watching me intently. I proceed to ignore them, and close my eyes once again in response.

Exhaustion lays heavy within my body, and I feel myself drift off into a deep, fitful, sleep. When suddenly, I feel the bed dip ever so slightly behind me, with that of added weight. The feel of fur, and heat is now present at my back.

Bruce has decided to lie next to me on my bed. He doesn't cuddle or press close, but he is still surprisingly there.

His presence makes my body relax even more, my breathing deepens, and I can feel myself go under. I can't help but smile as I finally drift into much needed sleep, by the sound of his steady breathing.

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	7. Chapter 7 Alfred

**Yes this chapter has also been revised. Enjoy!**

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**Thank you Kita chan, Nevenka, Ty, HarimaHige and SkyWolf16 for your reviews and/or comments! Double thanks for Kita chan for the awesome advice! I hope all you guys enjoy reading this chapter! Hope that you review! Gracias! :)**

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The whole world has warped itself into a great, big, black void. I choke from the lack of oxygen in the air, yet somehow, I still remain alive. A piercing pain rushes from the tip of my head, down to the very end of my toes, before abruptly dispersing. I kick my legs in order to try and break the surface, of whatever it is that I am in, but it is no use. I'm not going anywhere. The surrounding environment coils itself tightly around my body, weaving its way back and forth across the surface of my skin, squeezing me. I feel helplessly lost, and trapped. Figures, and images faintly shine in the dark, but I am only able to catch a glimpse of them in my peripheral vision. It's almost as if they don't wish to be seen by me.

Desperately, I try to reach out into this sea of black, hoping to grasp unto some shred of reality, but everything just turns to liquid in my fingers. In the back of my mind, I believe that this must be the end. After all the fighting and struggling... There is nothing more to hold unto.

Then without warning, something within me begins to burn. Something, that does not allow for me to give up, surges through my very being. I'm suddenly ignited with a persistent fire of survival.

_You must fight Diana. You must..._

My lungs scream for air, my fingers throb with a cold numbness, and my head pounds with a dull ache, yet this voice in my head urges me to fight on. Shaking my head, and clenching my hands, I try once more to move to the surface. My body yells at me to stop, but my heart and soul will me to go on.

Finally, I can see something. There, up above, two lights burn amidst the dark ink of black. One is brighter, and warmer than the other, but they both offer a sense of safety and security. As I wade closer, I am able to distinguish that they are, not in fact windows of light, but actual, human forms.

Bruce... Kal... They both stand before me, legs shoulder width apart, head bowed forward,and fists loosely clenched at their sides. A thin wall of the black water, is the only thing that is separating us from each other. Neither of them move for a single moment. It is as if they have been trapped within a moment of time. Frozen within their own sphere of doom. Then I notice something that I had not noticed before. It's in their posture, their position and disposition. Somehow, all of it is... Different.

Their shoulders are sloped downward, as if they are carrying an impossible burden. Their knuckles are white from the extreme tension in their hands, and their muscles are stiff and tense in form. Slowly, they each begin to raise their heads. First their chins, then their lips, and then their noses become exposed to the light, but before I can see their eyes, I am suddenly thrust backwards. They are gone within a single moment of time...

My eyes snap open. My heart beat is racing. Quickly I stretch an arm to the other side of the bed only to find it…

Empty... But still warm. I breath out a sigh of relief. I'd be lying to myself, if I were to say that I wasn't disappointed at his absence, but he's Bruce. He has a tendency of disappearing. Closing my eyes, I take in a deep breath, and slow my heart beat.

Suddenly I feel a warm nose touching my right hand, and I can't help but smile in response. Taking a deep breath, and once more opening my eyes, I greet Kal with a soft scratch behind the ears.

"Morning Kal." I murmur to him under my breath. Gazing into his eyes, I come to find concern. Concern for me that is. I must have cried out in my sleep for him to feel like this. Raising myself to my elbows, I look down at him. He reaches up, and places a paw on my hand. It's the universal sign signaling that he is here to listen to me talk. He wants me to know that if I wish to share what it is that has been bothering me, he's all ears.

I take a deep breath, and move into a sitting position. "I know Kal, but right now I need to help you first. Then..." I look at him once more. "Then we can talk." I lean down and place a small kiss on his forehead. Rising from my bed, and heading to the shower, I miss the all too clear expression on his face. An expression of deep... love and concern.

* * *

Once I am rinsed, dried, and dressed I decide to go hunt down Bruce with Kal at my side. It doesn't take long before me and Kal find him. He is in front of the teleportation bay, pacing the room restlessly. At our entrance he pauses, looks at me, and then continues to pace aimlessly.

I shake my head slowly. Same old Bruce. Kal stares at Bruce with a _"you have got to be kidding me"_ look. I know exactly how he feels.

"You do know that there's no way you can go down there right?" I ask with a raised brow.

A loud rumble emits from deep within his throat in answer, yet he does not break his stride. I let out a slight sigh of frustration, and rub my forehead. It's _too_ early to be dealing with this now, and an ice mocha sounds really good at the moment.

"Well, while you stay here Kal and I are going to go to the cafeteria. Once you get tired of walking around in circles, feel free to join us."

With that being said we walk right back out of the room and head straight for the mocha machine. Once I have created the delectable drink to perfection, I make my way toward the lounge room to try and relax, while enjoying my little treat.

Halfway there I sense the presence of a creature lurking in the shadows a bit sulkily. I smirk into my drink, knowing that Bruce is non-too happy with the fact that he can't go to Gotham.

Sipping my ice mocha, I watch Bruce out of the corner of my eye as he trails into the room after us, and leaps up to sit on the chair seated across from me. He stretches his body full length across the couch, and stares shamelessly at me with his piercing green eyes. I am not bothered by this; in fact I sort of welcome it. This is the most I have seen of the Dark Knights eyes, and I plan on enjoying it while I can.

I shift in my seat, crossing one leg over the other and rest my elbow on the arm rest of my chair, before leaning my head on the palm of my hand. I watch curiously as Bruce's eyes instantly lock unto my legs as they gracefully move.

_Now that's something I'll have to talk about with him in the future._

I let out a sigh, and think over the conversation I had with Zatanna.

_What am I going to do with these two?_

A thought instantly strikes me and I shoot up straight. Bruce hardly moves at my abrupt movement. Even as a tiger, he has the same personality. Kal however, is on high alert, watching me intently, his ears twitching around for any sort of sound that may mean trouble.

_Why had I not thought of this before?_

_Perhaps because you were too emotionally overwhelmed and upset to think straight? _I think unhappily to myself.

My eyes lock with those of Bruce, and I can tell that he knows he won't like what I am about to tell him.

"It looks like we are going to need to ring a certain Butler."

And I am right. His eyes flash dangerously, and he gives his body a violent shake before growling lowly.

"Oh, hush." I tell him, while drawing myself out of the comfort of the chair. Soon I am already flying out through the doors, and am heading toward the Monitor womb.

Kal instantly bounds up off of his chair and gallops after me, leaving Bruce to brood on his couch alone. A few minutes pass before he begrudgingly follows.

* * *

"Hello Diana. How has our… Guests been fairing?" J'onn asks in greeting, as I fly through the monitor doors with Kal trailing in behind me.

"As far as I can tell, they are fine. For the moment that is." I reply casting my eyes over to Kal quickly, before fully entering the room and stopping midair behind the Martian Man hunter's chair. Absent-mindedly I view the screens, grateful that, at the moment they show no signs of high alert threats occurring on earth.

"J'onn I need your help. I'm here because I need to contact Alfred." J'onn nods his head in understanding before typing in some commands. Not long after, a small window box pops up on the screen. A live video feed of Alfred begins to stream through, and I smile at seeing him well.

"You're Highness, J'onn" He says formally, while nodding in greeting as he says each of our names.

"Good to see you Alfred," I cal out in greeting. "I'm sorry to have to bother you, but a situation has occurred that involves Bruce." He lets out a sigh, and his mouth turns downward at the corners of his mouth, creating a slight frown.

"Please don't tell me that Master Bruce has been found streaking amongst the City of Gotham again! I tell you the things he does to help keep up the persona of a billionaire playboy! It's horrifying. One would think that I taught him no manners whatsoever."

I cover my mouth, in an attempt to try and hide the small smile that is beginning to tug at the corner of my lips, at the mere thought of Batman running naked through the streets. Alfred's moustache twitches at my expression, and he clears his throat none too subtly. Quickly, I compose myself, and continue.

"No Alfred. Bruce hasn't been doing that, thankfully." I say amusingly, despite the blush that has begun to creep up unto my cheeks.

"So he's wearing clothes at the moment." He asks with an inquiring gaze.

I bite my bottom lip. "Well, not exactly." I say slowly.

His eyebrow quirks slightly at this, and his expression is one of slight confusion.

"Please do tell me, why in heavens name is he not?" He demands, with furrowed brows.

Now it's my turn to clear my throat. Hesitantly I rub the toe of my right boot on the floor. My forehead creases as I try to break the news to Alfred in the best way that I possibly can. Thankfully J'onn speaks up, and does it for me.

"I am afraid that Bruce has found himself in a most unusual predicament. In which case, he has become transformed into a tiger by the one and only known Circe." J'onn finishes.

His eyes widen ever so slightly at the news, and once again his moustache twitches. The mirth can plainly be seen in his eyes. I breathe out a sigh of relief, with the knowlegde that he has handled the news better than I thought he would.

"My word, what did Bruce do this time to get himself involved -quite literally- in this mess?" He asks, his tone having once more become serious.

"Demand that he come with us on a mission since it was located within his city." I answer flatly.

"Master Bruce always did have a stubborn streak, and I take it that him being a tiger doesn't change that at all?" I smile at the hopeful tone in his voice.

"No Alfred. I'm afraid not, he is as stubborn as ever, perhaps even more so." I reply, recalling to mind where it is that I had found him earlier this morning. Even becoming a tiger would not stop him from wanting to go down and patrol his city.

"Now dear was there something that you wanted to talk to me about, besides what we have just been discussing?" He asks. Alfred may be old, but that just means he's all the wiser.

"Yes. I wanted to discuss living arrangements. I know that you will definitely want Bruce to come live with you in the Manor, but would you also consider having me and Kal along for the ride? He, unfortunately, has found himself in the same dilemma as Bruce."

"Absolutely, I shall prepare the rooms right now, just teleport down whenever you are ready." Alfred remarks with a friendly smile.

"Thank you Alfred." I reply with a slight sigh of relief.

He inclines his head forward. "My dear you are friends of Bruce, therefore you are definitely friends of mine. What else would I do, but help you out?" And with those last words, the screen goes black.

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**That's it for now. Tell me what you thought! Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon!**


	8. Chapter 8 Visitor

**Big thanks given to LOL, Amanda, Kita chan, GhostNappa99, HarimaHige, and rawsharpii for the reviews. They were awesome and I enjoyed reading them immensely! :) I hope you like this chapter; it goes a bit more into Diana and Bruce's relationship somewhat. I am sorry if it seems like this story is going a bit slow, but I want to make sure that everything makes sense and goes in order otherwise it will not make any sense and I don't want to be jumping everywhere during the story. That would be bad.**

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**Read on….**

Once upon a time there was something between Bruce and me. If ever asked, he would immediately deny it, but I know better.

Sometimes I believe that there still is _something _there. I can feel it. A spark that ignites every now and then, but he always quells it as soon as he feels that it will grow. Grow into something that he cannot control. The thing is, it has already grown, and I just hide it very well.

Despite only knowing him for two years, I know him better than anyone else on this Watchtower, besides J'onn that is.

J'onn though has the advantage of being a telepath although even Bruce is resilient enough to resist the telepathic from knowing what is going on in his mind at all times. He told me so himself. _"Through these years Diana, he still remains to be a complicated puzzle to me." _

That left me, the only person who ever_ really_ wanted to get to know him better.

Kal of course knew some of his background but one can only learn so much without knowing the person himself first.

The others valued him as a special asset to this team, respected him as a superhero in his own right but they never wanted to get to know him on a personal level.

Realistically though, it was his own fault, he never let anyone in, never spoke with anyone unless it was League related and even during those sessions he always kept the small talk… well _really _small.

Over time we had grown closer despite his cold demeanor.

During battle we worked fluently with each other, seemingly knowing what the other was thinking without uttering a single word.

Little by little I had begun to fall for him. Despite the fact that I knew that I would probably get hurt in the end, I couldn't resist.

Memories of what occurred during Gorilla City, Paris and the Thanagarian invasion fly through my mind leaving me in a slight daze.

I had pushed for a relationship, he had had pushed back saying no.

No matter how hard I persisted, he wouldn't budge.

He denied me.

Locked me out.

Gave me the cold shoulder.

Said we couldn't be together.

That it wouldn't work.

He even provided the ever famous three reasons.

Finally I couldn't take his excuses anymore. I stopped… just… stopped pushing after I realized that he really didn't want to even _try _and be with me.

So I had forced myself to move on.

But if I'm honest with myself, I have never really been able to let him go.

"Are you ready Diana?" J'onn's voice pierces through my wandering thoughts.

I shake my head.

_I have to stop dwelling on these things, it's very distracting._

Taking a deep breath I nod my head.

"Take us down J'onn."

He gives me an encouraging smile before a bright light envelopes me and the spacious, clean area of the Watchtower is replaced with that of the dark, dankness of the Batcave.

_Here we go. _I think to myself as I step off of the teleportation mat and unto the moist cement floor of the cave.

Bruce wastes no time in rushing past me and heading up toward the Large Bat Computer located at the center of the Cave.

I watch amusingly as he struggles to turn on the monitor.

He growls frustratingly as his long claws skid slippery over the black keys of his keyboard.

Walking up slowly behind him, I can't help but chuckle lightly.

"Bruce, Bruce… What am I going to do with you?" He ignores me pointedly, and glares at the keys as if that will make them do what he wants.

"Here let me help you." He shakes his head annoyingly pushing me away with his muzzle. That's right how could I have forgotten. Bruce never likes to be _helped._

"Alright then I won't call it "help." Let me _serve_ you." His nonvisible eyebrow rises amusingly at this and I bite my lower lip as I realize the implication of my own words.

"Stop it Bruce." I grumble, a blush creeping up and unto my cheeks.

He watches me intently with a heated gaze as I lean across him to type in a few commands.

I try to ignore him as well as I can.

"My, my the Dark Knight and his princess getting cozy. How delightful." I stiffen as the bored tone rings clearly from behind me.

Turning around I come to find a woman dressed in a tight fitting black costume that clearly resembles a cat, leaning on the hood of the Batmobile lazily. I instantly recognize her from files that each founding member had to view from the League database.

"Catwoman." I reply, forcing the name through my lips.

"Wonder Woman." She greets me with a sneer.

"What are you doing here? Better yet, how did you even get in here?" I ask walking a bit closer toward her with my fists securely on my hips.

She lets out a laugh.

"Well Dearie I can get into any place I want, and right now I just happen to want to be here." She says with a slight purr, waving a hand over her agile form now stretched over the hood of the vehicle.

"Why?" I demand.

"When the Big Bad Bat here misses out on one night of his daily patrols _everyone _notices. I came here to figure out why, because I know for a fact that Daddy would never miss out on his daily dose of sugar. So that means something big must have come up to keep him away."

My eyes narrow at her last words and their meaning.

"Of course," She says with a sigh before lifting herself off the car and landing lightly on the floor. "I didn't know that _you_ would be here."

She walks closer before stopping a few feet from where I am standing behind Bruce's chair.

"There's something between you and Bruce isn't there." She says with a frown, pointing a finger at me and then at the back of Bruce's chair.

Confusingly I look over my shoulder toward Bruce.

_Why hasn't she figured out that Bruce… isn't really Bruce at the moment? _I muse to myself.

My question is answered soon enough. In the darkness of the cave, from behind, Bruce's ears look identical to that of the pointy ears located on his cowl. That and the fact that he hasn't moved an inch since the start of this conversation between me and Catwoman, it isn't hard to mistake him for being… Well, being regular Bruce. I smirk to myself.

_Well won't she just be surprised._

I turn back to face her. Deciding to rile her up a bit, I answer her truthfully.

"Well, maybe there was and _maybe _there still is." Her face darkens slightly at my response. She crosses her arms.

"Well, I don't like it and if I'm right, Mr. Fluffy over here doesn't like it one bit either." I raise my brow, forgetting for the moment that Kal was even with us. She walks closer to him.

"Isn't that right sugar?" she says sweetly, reaching out her right hand to pat him on the head.

Kal growls at her in response as he backs away slowly.

"Touchy." With a frown she pulls her hand back and looks to me, narrowing her eyes.

"This ain't your turf Wonder babe. Now it's my turn to ask, what are _you _doing here?" With a quirk of an eyebrow, I walk some length backwards before swiftly spinning the chair around to face her.

Bruce is hunched slightly over, glaring at Catwoman.

His powerful muscles around his shoulders are bulging out somewhat and half of his body is shadowed in the darkness. He looks just as dark and menacing as the human Batman.

She gives a slight gasp and presses her fingertips against her lips as if to hold herself together. The shock is confusingly soon replaced with amusement.

I frown slightly as she laughs out loud and extends her index finger toward Bruce.

"Is that-?" I nod quickly cutting her off silently, still slightly confused at her unexpected reaction to this whole situation.

She shakes her head at my given answer.

Sauntering up to him, she circles his chair all the while tracing a sharp claw from his left cheek bone, around the top of his head, before finally stopping at the end of his muzzle as she reaches the other side.

He remains unmoving, seemingly undeterred by her bold actions.

"This is just gold baby." She whispers into his left ear, while once again chuckling lowly.

I frown at the back of her head and I can't help the anger that surges through me as she touches him in such a familiar way.

Straightening up, she scans the room before her eyes land on Kal.

"Did the same thing happen to him? Like with Bruce?" She questions me. Once again I only dignify her question with a slow nod.

"So let me guess. This is…?" I watch her as she pouts slightly while mulling over the possibilities in her head.

"Can't be Booster Gold, I was just on a date with him yesterday." She mumbles lowly to herself.

"Nope can't be him either." She says ticking whatever person she is thinking of off her finger list.

"Nope again and… nope. Nope. Nope."

_Just how many men of the justice League are associated with this woman?_ I wonder to myself.

She stares at him hard, tilting her head slightly.

"That… that fishy man." She declares out loud after some thought.

"Aquaman you mean?" I ask a bit incredulously.

"Yeah, yeah whatever his name is." She replies off handedly. "Is it him?"

I shake my head no, as I watch Kal grumpily move away from his spot near her and setting himself near the car with an audible huff.

"Really?" She scoffs slightly. "Huh? You sure look similar to him." She tells him.

Kal shakes his head, while curling his upper lip upward clearly showing that he has been offended.

"Blue eyes… blue eyes…" She mutters over and over again.

"Nope. I can't think of anyone else at the moment." She says with a defeated sigh.

"Who is he?"

"Superman"

Her eyes instantly spark with interest.

"So that's why you seem so familiar good looking."

She smiles wide at him, cocking a hip and gazing at him steadily.

I watch out of the corner of my eye as Bruce stiffens slightly at Catwoman's response.

"Looks like you've got your hands full." She says finally turning away from Kal as she realizes that she isn't going to get a reaction out of him anytime soon.

I can see Kal visibly let out a snort in relief at the lack of attention she is giving him at the moment.

Not waiting for me at all to reply toward her comment she continues to speak.

"You know what Wonder W, out of all the things that you do, dealing with these two is probably the most impressive."

"What?" I ask, wondering where she is coming from with this.

"How _do _youdeal with them? I mean they are so different from each other. Superman," She peers at him closely "Yeah I can see why you want to work so _closely _with him, what with him being such a handsome devil that he is."

I cross my arms over my chest, waiting for her to be finished.

"And Batman, well… Don't get me wrong he's such a looker behind the cowl but I'm sure that you've noticed that he's not much of a people person at all. He's very dark, brooding, stubborn, always want's things to go his way, by his terms and has an _interesting_ past." Her mind seems to wander for a moment before she looks back at me.

"Don't you ever get tired of trying to work with people so different from each other? They must never stop arguing."

My mind flashes back to the argument that both Batman and Superman shared before going out on that mission. She's right, it is tiring but I still value them both greatly.

She raises an eyebrow at me, apparently waiting for an answer.

"One I disagree with more than I agree. The other I agree with more than I disagree yet both are different sides of the same coin." I say simply.

She raises an eyebrow seemingly impressed with my answer, but the questions just keep coming from her mouth. It seems that once she is on a role, there is no stopping her. How does Bruce deal with her?

"I guess the question really is. What do you see in Bruce? Doesn't working with him mess up with your views, or mission in life as an Amazon Princess in this world?"

I breathe in deeply realizing that she's trying to deter me from wanting anything to do with Bruce. Well it's not going to work.

"Although this may be hard for you to understand, I have come to realize that not everything can be accomplished through morals and standards alone. Batman is a special asset to the team, not only because of his great fighting skill as a hero, but also because his ways manage to help balance our own. Without him and his way of thinking we would never be able to do what we need to."

I tilt my head interested in her response.

"Funny, a man that has a messed up past is actually the one responsible for helping to keep the Trinity functioning." She comes closer and growls lowly at me, her claws glinting in the dim light. "Funny only in the terms that I know who he really is _Princess_. He is a man that needs serious help, a man that is to stubborn to change his ways, a man so unemotional and unfeeling that you can't bear to be with him for very long. A man who puts fear into the hearts of any and every one that dares to come across his path. A man seemingly so uncaring of those around him. He lives in the darkness and only those who dwell in that darkness can ever truly understand him." She hisses out darkly.

My rows furrow in silent rage. I speak up, stepping away from her to give myself some space.

"That is where you're wrong Catwoman. All you see is a troubled man with a traumatic past, who is wasting away his life, but what I see." I turn to look at Bruce. His eyes bore into my own and I continue speaking while steadily holding his gaze. "I see a man who has found the strength to get up every night to fight for his City despite his troubled past. A man who has harnessed his pain and used it for the good of his people. A man so intent on carrying the burden of Gotham himself if only to allow someone else the chance to live their lives even a _little_ better. He is a man who has realized that in order to help Gotham there can't be a superhero like me or Kal, only because it would tear the city apart. He realizes that in order to try and right the wrong fear must be used and manipulated. They need someone that has grown here, felt the pain that comes with living here, and knows that Gotham can give-or brutally take away." My voice softens. "He understands what this City is crying out for. I don't agree with all his methods, but I understand some of his views." I tear my eyes from Bruce and turn back toward Catwoman. "You keep telling yourself that you know Bruce, but do you _really_? Or is it just Gotham that you understand, such as he does. Because if you do -which I suspect is true- then you only know a part of him. There is more than the cowl and the late night sprees Catwoman; you have to remember that somewhere deep down, a man lies hidden. Yes, a troubled man, but a man none the less." I look away and travel slowly to the bottom of the steps.

"Now if you will excuse me, I have someone else that needs my attention at the moment. I'm sure you know your way out as well as you know your way in."

With those last words I fly up the stairs and into the Mansion, leaving them two to be alone.

"She's a piece of work isn't she Kal." I whisper to him as I head for the Kitchen.

Swinging open the door I come face to face with that of a dear friend.

"Alfred." I call out cheerily, swiftly wrapping him up in a hug before he can protest.

"You're Highness." He says equally as cheerful as he smooth's out the fresh wrinkles I created on his uniform.

Peering behind me he immediately spots Kal siting patiently by the kitchen doors.

"Master Kent, I presume and where might Master Bruce be?" He asks with a curios tone.

"At the moment he is in the Batcave." I answer.

He nods his head with an understanding expression.

"Couldn't keep him away from his toys I see." He replies turning back to the food cooking on the stove.

"More like an acquaintance." I answer while setting myself comfortably on the high stool chair. He stills.

"Acquaintance?" He asks.

"Catwoman." I verify. He shakes his head.

"I told him not to mix in with that kind of crowd and you know what he does? He does the exact opposite of what I tell him!" he says resuming his chopping.

"You do realize that he is a grown man right Alfred? A man capable of making his own decisions."

"A man yes, but grown? I hardly think so. Besides the decisions he has made over the years, they are not exactly what I would call the wisest of the century." He answers with a huff. I smile at him. With Alfred you never know what he is going to say, he may look old and formal at times, but he has a mind full of opinions that he's not afraid to voice.

"You know he loves you Alfred."

He pauses, turns to look at me and wags his finger at me as if I should know better.

"My Dear, loving and listening are two very different things altogether." He states simply.

I shake my head, and turn at the sound of the door almost silently opening and closing.

"Speaking of which there is the man -or cat I should say- that we are talking of." Say's Alfred while turning back around.

Bruce saunters into the kitchen, avoiding my gaze as his nose twitches at the smell of food.

_Did I say something wrong down in the cave?_ I question myself internally as he walks right past me without pausing.

I let out a slight huff and lean against the counter more heavily. Perhaps I will never know exactly.

I watch as Bruce leaps unto the chair across from my own and looks at me for the first time since entering.

I am relieved to find no anger in his expression; instead I come to find a certain curiosity in his eyes while they rove my face, as if truly seeing me for the first time.

A sudden knock erupts out of the blue and every moving thing stops.

I stand up to follow Alfred as he promptly walks out of the Kitchen and toward the front door.

Pushing down his sleeves he proceeds to open the door slowly. My face breaks into a grin at the sight of a familiar set of soft blue eyes, a nice tailored top suit and a pair of black fish nets.

"Alfred," she greets nodding to him as he further opens the door to allow her entrance.

"Miss Zatanna, good to see you." He returns.

She smiles at him before turning to me.

"Zi!" I call out cheerfully.

"Hey Di! Seems like you found the perfect spot to lay low." She say's throwing a look about the room.

I nod in agreement.

"Well don't just stand here you two. Don't you have some certain business to attend to?" Alfred scolds playfully, while ushering us both out of the entrance hall.

I watch as Zatanna rolls her eyes good naturally before heading straight toward the old Father clock that serves as the secret entrance for the Batcave.

She opens it smoothly before venturing deeper into the dark hole.

Holding it open, I pause as both Kal and Bruce bound down the stairs following her, not wanting to be left out on anything important.

Taking a deep breath, I to enter and the door shuts with a dull thud as I am the last to be enveloped by the seemingly never ending darkness.

**Alright so this by far is the longest chapter I have written in this story. **

**Hopefully it was not boring. **

**I hope that I characterized Catwoman somewhat decently in this chapter. I don't know her personality as well as some other characters but I hope that I wasn't too far-fetched in what I wrote about her. **

**Tell me what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9 Zatanna

**I want to thank you all readers for finding the time to read this story. I once again want to thank those that have taken the extra time to review! These thanks go to GhostNappa99, Jay, Nevenka, Amanda, Ni Castle, Sakura Pheonix13, and Guest! Tahnx's so much you guys and keep up the good work!**

**On with the show! :p**

* * *

"You're sure that this will help find her?" I ask firmly.

"As sure as I'll ever be without performing the spell first." She answers with a curt nod.

I sigh yet the unsure look on my face is soon replaced with sheer determination.

"Alright then, let us give it a try."

Zatanna's face breaks into a dazzling smile as it always does when she hears something that that is approved by her.

Casting a glance at Bruce, who is currently brooding darkly on his favorite chair, she whispers loudly at me.

"What about Mr. Grumpy pants? Can't we leave him behind?" She pouts. "Pleeease!"

I smile at her then turn to Bruce.

"Unfortunately Zi, he has to come with us." I answer with disappointment while shaking my head slowly.

He glares at me hard and I smile at him to ensure him that I am only teasing. He looks back at me, his gaze softening slightly.

Zatanna looks between me and Bruce and raises an eyebrow. Thankfully she doesn't comment.

"Where's Kal?" She asks spinning around to find him.

I clear my throat and she whips back around to me.

Pointing a finger downwards, her eyes follow in the direction I am implicating.

"Oh there you are." She says answering her own question.

Kal is lying peacefully beside my feet as I lean against the solid steal railing built securely around the edges of the Bat Computer's area.

"Everybody ready then?" She asks, automatically gripping the front of her top hat with her right hand.

Bruce just grunts, and Kal moves to stand. I nod yes in reply.

Gripping her wand in her left hand she quickly recites a few words.

Then in a puff of smoke we are gone.

Just as they all disappear into thin air, Alfred happens to walk down the long spiraled stairs.

Unblinking, his eyes rove the dark area before letting out a small 'humph.'

"Yippy. More for me. Like always." He says dryly to himself while taking a bite out of a newly baked chocolate chip cookie which was adorned gracefully among others on a silver platter.

He allows himself a small smile as the delicious taste of chocolate spreads across his mouth.

"Very good Alfred. Very good indeed." He murmurs to himself before turning back to endure the flight of stairs once more.

* * *

"Come on Sid are you going to sell me what I need or not?"

"You know the rules. The elements of magic always come at a price and I don't take cash or plastic."

Zatanna lifts her shoulders in exasperation. "So what do you want?"

We had arrived moments ago to get the final piece that Zatanna required from this "Sid", but he was proving to be a hard bargainer. The way his eyes would always flit to my figure appreciatively made me dislike him from the beginning and my dislike for him only grew.

_I bet that if I were a pig right now he wouldn't even give me a second glance. _I think to myself wryly, crossing my arms over my chest a bit impatiently.

His eyes rove suspiciously over the two tigers pacing in the small room.

"Hey! Are those two fur balls house trained?"

"Watch yourself little man." I warn. "_These_ two are live creatures and you will show them respect." I reply sternly, moving myself in front of both Bruce and Kal in case they decide to react not too kindly toward his comment.

"Alright _sorry_." His eyes land on me for the hundredth time and he tilts his head, leaning on the counter a bit. "I always do like my ladies with a bit of fire in them though." He says to me.

Kal stops pacing and glares at him a bit agitated before growling in warning.

"Now about that final ingredient I need for my locator spell." Zatanna says bringing him back to the subject at hand.

"It's all yours for a good luck silver coin." He replies turning his attention toward his client.

"What! That is robbery!" She exclaims out loud.

"What robbery? I'm giving it to you at cost." His rough voice grates against my ears annoyingly.

"It's a total rip. I could conjure it up for nothing." She huffs out.

"Try it. It is all but impossible to get, by magic or not. I'm this dimensions only supplier." He retorts raising an eyebrow.

"Okay. You win." She say's sighing.

"Raeppa esrup." She says with a slight frown. In less than a second a purse appears in the palm of her hand. A bit grouchily she digs within its contents and produces a large silver coin. She is non-too thrilled to be handing it over to him.

"Thank You." He says with a spark in his eye. My uneasiness about this man does not lessen.

We both follow him past the yellowish counter and towards a small round rickety table that is pushed in the corner of the room. It is filled with all sorts of small objects.

I take a step back and allow Zatanna to do her thing.

"I call upon the spirits of earth and air to reveal our enemy and make her whereabouts known."

She turns to me and explains. "This invocation works better frontwards then backwards."

I raise my row at her interested. She turns back toward the table.

Taking a deep breath she commands. "Circe show yourself."

A puff of smoke then…

Nothing.

The disappointment is clear on her face.

"Well that was a lot of nothing." She says angrily at Sid, hands clamped firmly at her sides.

"Circe's pretty powerful. If she doesn't want to be found there's not much anyone can do." He answers offhandedly.

"Then what was the point of all this?" She cries out. "Give me back my coin." She demands hand extended outward expectantly.

"Sorry kid, no refunds." He answers with a smile.

I knew it, this man was no good.

"You slimy little-"

"Return what belongs to her thief." I tell him sharply, interrupting Zatanna. Glancing at her from the corner of my eye I come to find that she doesn't seem to mind at all.

"Hey it came at a price; you didn't ask if it was guaranteed to work so I didn't bother saying anything." He protests before barking out a hideous laugh in honor of his small victory.

I grit my teeth and my hand automatically extends toward the lasso resting against my hip.

His eyes instantly lock on my hand and he grins widely.

"Go ahead baby, tie me up I don't mind. Besides, I would_ love _to see what you can do with that length of rope."

My temper flares at what he says. I have had about enough of this man's rudeness.

I am about to take a step forward but before I manage to even place one foot in front of the other a blur of black leaps in front of me.

Bruce crouches low to the ground, muscles taught with tension. The fur on his neck is bristled and a low growl rumbles from his throat all the while making sure to show the edges of some very sharp fangs. Kal walks up and stops beside him, cool and calm yet no less threatening.

The man visibly pales at the sight of them two coming to my defense. Despite the fact that I know I could handle him easily I take no offence toward their assistance in scaring this guy into submission.

He backs away slowly, hands raised.

"Now I don't want any trouble here." He chokes out clearly terrified. Sweat begins to gather at his forehead.

"Good, neither do we." I say as I begin to calm down. "Just give her back what you owe." I tell him eyes narrowed slightly.

He nods quickly and hurriedly places the coin on the table, afraid to move anywhere nearer toward us. At least not with Bruce and Kal's eyes locked on him so intently.

"There take it." He says frantically motioning toward the coin with his right hand, yet his eyes never straying from Bruce or Kal.

I nod at Zatanna.

"Dnufer" The coin appears in her hand and she smiles triumphantly before heading out the door.

"Let's go now you guys." I order, slowly walking backwards to the exit. Neither of them listens and they remain stock still. Their eyes locked on the poor man as if he were prey. He gulps fearfully once he realizes that they seem not to be going anywhere.

I stop and frown in slight frustration. "Now." I demand with more force.

Slowly they obey and begin to inch backward until they eventually pass me, finally turning around fully. I wait until they are halfway out before deciding to follow them.

Gaining back some confidence in the lack of proximity both Bruce and Kal have with him he decides to speak up.

"Leave and never come back!" He hollers at their retreating backs once they do pass through the doorway. He then gives me what I assume is supposed to be a sexy smile but what really looks like a disgusting sneer.

"On the other hand, you baby… You can stay as long as you want- You hot, juicy, sexy mama. Me and you-" Before he even can _finish _that sentence Bruce quickly backtracks through the entrance and rushes right back into the room.

Before I can stop him from doing anything rash he leaps up unto the table top and growls fiercely right into the man's face. Muscles taught, claws extended, he is poised to strike. The man is scared out of his wits and rightly so.

Bruce is a force to be reckoned with.

The man yelps in sudden alarm and begins to cower fearfully but apparently Bruce isn't finished with scaring him.

He pulls his ears back angrily and his lips curl upward showing the full length of his sharp teeth while inching ever so closer to Sid's nose.

Suddenly he snorts and the man flinches uncontrollably as he feels the hot breath of Bruce spread across his face.

I wrinkle my nose in disgust as the smell of urine reaches my nose.

Satisfied with the results that he has gotten from his warning, Bruce abruptly pivots around and leaps down off of the flimsy table.

I watch as he silently walks past me.

My eyes widen slightly as I feel the faintest brush of fur running against my leg. So close yet he manages to stay far enough away from me.

Kal pauses and watches Bruce with slightly narrowed eyes.

Kal snorts at him and waits until Bruce passes before moving back in order to walk beside to me.

Quickly I peer back into the shop before following Zatanna and Bruce.

I can't help but smile slightly at the sight of the visibly shaken man who was just moments ago feeling the wrath of an angry tiger.

* * *

**Definitely not as long as the last chapter but I think it was alright. **

**What do you think? If you review I shall find out. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	10. Chapter 10 Medusa

**Thanks to my reviewers Guest (4), Ni Castle, and lauriedoriew for the last chapter! I liked reading all of them and liked hearing your opinions. :) This chapter seems to me to be more simpler, but I think that at least one chapter in a story is going to turn out to be that way. So anyways here I go... Enjoy!**

* * *

"Tell me again why we had to leave Bruce and Clark behind with Alfred." Zatanna requests from beside me.

Glancing at her quickly, I comply with giving her an answer.

"Because where we are going, they are not going to like it very much."

It's true. I don't believe that two cats that seemed to have grown more animalistic would appreciate the need of a blind fold. I doubt that they would even be able to keep it on. I could not risk them turning into stone, because then I would be able to do absolutely nothing to help them and Batman and Superman would be lost to the world forever.

"Remind me where that would be." She says while looking across the skies, only to find a space of blue and rolls of white clouds.

"Some place not too pretty." I breathe out.

She grimaces slightly.

After getting nowhere with the locater spell, I decided that we needed to try a different tactic.

The only other option I could think of was getting the information straight from a certain snitches mouth and I knew of the one person who would be so willing to do that for us.

Gripping the wheel I tilt it forward and steer my Jet downward.

In a few seconds I manage to land it without any trouble.

"It's time to see a woman about a witch." I mutter under my breath, indicating for Zatanna to follow me out of the cockpit.

"Thank you for setting this up." I say graciously to Themis.

There she stands before us draped in a pristine white toga with her magnificent blonde curls cascading down her back. In her hand she holds a gold scale and a cloth bound across her eyes restricts her from visibly seeing us.

The use of the cloth is understandable due to the fact of the person we are about to see.

"Please your League has done much good in my name. When you summon me how could I refuse?" she comments, her voice soft like an angel, yet full of strength.

"Here she comes." She announces aloud once the sight of a dark, old rowboat begins to appear through the thick, muggy fog.

"Don't look at her directly." Themis reminds us, and both Zatanna and I simultaneously tie our own length of cloth around our eyes for protection.

It would be no good for Bruce and Kal if I suddenly found myself in the form of a stone statue.

Although everything is dark to me, I still can hear the boat come to a stop near us. Soon there is the sound of a person climbing gingerly out of the raft before coming to a stand in front of us.

"Medusa, you have a chance to earn leniency, if you help our visitors. You were Circe's cellmate weren't you?" Themis questions.

"C girl and me did some time together back in the pit of eternal torment. That's where they hang you by the ankles and weasels come each night to eat your fingers. They grow back the next day but trust me it gets old real quick." Medusas gritty voice flows to my ears.

"Did she ever mention Hippolyta?" Themis continues, ignoring what she had just mentioned.

"Are you kidding? Hippolyta! Hippolyta! All the time Hippolyta! When I get my hands on her, yadda, yadda, yadda." Medusa exclaims exasperatingly.

Still aggravatingly she does not give me the information that I am seeking to find.

I have no time to waste in hearing the complaints of Medusa.

I think of what Batman would do if he were in my position.

"That much we know. We're wasting our time." I retort briskly, turning away as if to leave. So far so good.

"Wait! Wait! There was one other thing. Circe was always saying she wanted a headline at the Amphitheater." I remain quite for the moment, waiting for her to continue and thankfully she does.

"Amphitheater on Mykonos." She clarifies. "Seems Circe was wicked jealous of her cousins the sirens and swore she would someday get her turn on the stage. You know those statues at the entrance? Mine!" She cries out happily. My mouth turns downward in a slight frown at the thought of all those people who managed to be trapped in stone forever.

"Thank you Medusa and know that you have earned 300 years off your sentence." Themis speaks up; I can hear the slight whine of metal moving as she lifts her scale upward in the air.

"Freedom in 4010 ring! A ding ding!" Medusa says dryly, walking back into the boat.

There is a slight pause in the atmosphere before I sense the presence of a hand stretching forward in my direction.

"Uh there's a small service charge." Themis voices from beside me.

I nod in consent and stretch my own hand outward. Swiftly I drop some coins into the bone-like hands before stepping away. The sound of an oar splashing slightly in the water alerts me to the satisfaction of the rower.

"When you see Circe tell her I want my curling iron back!" Medusa hollers over her shoulder at us. I can't help but smile slightly at the very thought of Medusa owning any kind of iron with the kind of hair she does have.

* * *

"So what was the point of going through all that?" Zi asks me once we exit the dark tunnels of the underground caves.

"The point was to find Circe location, which happens to most likely be at that Amphitheater Medusa mentioned."

"Alright then let's get going." She remarks, heading toward my jet.

She halts after stepping only a few feet forward, and then turns to me once more.

"Wait. Where exactly is your jet located again?" She asks taking a look around.

"It's that way." I say pointing to her left. "But we aren't going to take the jet. It's too conspicuous. Circe may see us and flee before we can even get near her. We're going to need the use of your transportation."

She nods in understanding.

"Alright then, but what about the Jet? You just were going to leave it here?"

"No." I shake my head. "I'm going to send it home."

"Okay, but exactly how are you going to accomplish that without you piloting it?" She asks curiously.

Reaching under my right silver bracelet I press a tiny button hidden securely there.

The invisible jet hums to life and begins to hover in the air.

The blast of wind that blows past both me and Zatanna is the only physical evidence to indicate that it has left, making its way back to the Watchtower.

"So that's how it got the mansion." She turns to me with a raised eyebrow, questioning me silently.

"It's one of the perks from knowing Bruce." I offer in explanation.

She crosses her arms over her chest and huffs out an annoyed breath.

"Bruce always gives you the cool toys." She whines good-naturally.

I know that she is only teasing but after thinking it over I realize that it is indeed true.

I guess I hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but looking back now I notice that there is a series of patterns of Bruce giving me some sort of new high tech gadget and not any of the other league members.

I frown slightly.

That man is so confusing at times. This is not the first time I have thought that same thought.

Now thinking about it, those gifts could have meant something more, but with Bruce you could never sure. Actually Bruce never called them _gifts _to him they were only necessities.

If you ever questioned the reason behind his abrupt doings, he would always be prepared to answer with some sort of logical answer.

I shake my head.

Better not to worry myself over it. It was just Bruce being his usual complicated self. He did say he always liked to keep people off-balanced when it came to him.

Turning to Zatanna I find her studying my face somberly.

"Ready?" I ask stepping closer to her and ignoring her inquiring gaze.

She nods yes but doesn't say anything and for the second time I am swept up in a cloud of smoke.

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**That's all for this chapter. Hope that it at least was somewhat entertaining. Review!**

**Adios for now ;)**


	11. Chapter 11 Let the Games Continue

**50+ reviews! Thanks to all you guys who have reviewed over these last ten chapters and accomplished these amount of reviews. Sorry if I sound too giddy about this but I can't help myself. Thanks lauriedoriew, SakuraPheonix13, Amanda, bubblestar88, Guest, Ni Castle, and 23WonderWoman97 for reviewing the last chapter. I enjoyed reading them all. Read on and hopefully enjoy!**

* * *

Zatanna stands beside me, hands hanging loosely at her sides as we both study the gray stone walls of the Ampitheater. It is dark and musty but Zatanna insists that this is the right area.

"You have to admit Medusa does good work." Zatanna comments, due to the sight of statues clustered around the main entrance.

"Too good." I reply grimly before heading straight into the unknown, knowing that she is not far behind by the sound of her feet pounding the ground.

A chorus of clapping greets us as we finally make it to the dining area where all the guests sit at randomly placed tables. All their eyes are glued to the front where they watch a woman with lustrous purple hair talking on stage.

"Thank you, thank you, you've all been so kind to me tonight. You know my cousins the sirens never thought I could sing. Really!" She cries out humorously. "They thought they were all that with their- charm there sailors routine. But I'm showing them aren't I?" She says with a coy smile.

I smirk to myself as all she is met with is silence from the crowd in reaction to her statement.

She then begins to scowl fiercely in anger before a sudden spurt of light clapping starts up and she smiles once more in pleasure.

"Oh thank you! I love you all!"

She spreads her arms out wide as if to hug the entire crowd.

"Are there any requests?" She asks leaning in closer to the microphone.

"stcejbo kcatta ecriC!" Zatanna shouts out from beside me.

"I'm not sure I know that one?" Circe replies confusingly.

She soon lets out a surprised gasp as a table, two plates and a champagne bottle fly right into her unexpectedly. People scatter everywhere in panic at the sudden turn of events.

I ignore them all and watch as Zatanna imitates the movements of throwing an object at Circe before another table flies through the air.

That very same table rams into Circe's back as she hunches slightly over, covering her head with both her hands in a desperate attempt to protect herself.

"Insolent trickster you dare to strike-" She lets out a loud cry as a chair smacks into her from behind and cuts her off.

"You dare to strike-" Once again she is cut off as another table flies at her from her left.

"Ow! You dare to strike-" She lets out a muffled strangled protest as a blue table cloth is thrown at her head and wraps around her face, blinding her momentarily.

Angrily she rips it off. "Quite it!" She hisses out. Suddenly her eyes widen in apparent fear at what she sees coming at her. "Oh no!" She gasps out breathily.

Out of nowhere a giant piano crashes directly at her, flattening her underneath its extreme weight.

Her feet are the only visible part of her body as it is not covered in wooden debris.

Astonishingly they both flatten as thin as paper and slide free from its bonds and seemingly disappear from view.

The Piano begins to glow with white electricity before it explodes in a cloud of thick green gas.

Once the smoke clears Circe herself becomes fully visible once again, while hovering in the air wearing her usual green/purple garb.

She then turns to face the group of male back-up singers' as they huddle together on the stage a bit fearfully.

"Well? Defend you mistress." She barks out harshly, eyes narrowed in frusturation.

A light violet glow surrounds them all and they grunt in agony before transforming into various forms of animals.

All the wild beasts let out pitiful screeches before launching themselves off stage and attacking me.

I brace my arms against a Siberian tiger as its white teeth gnash in close proximity with my face.

I easily overcome him and force him off of me by planting my feet securely on his stomach and throwing him to the ground.

Looking around I notice the mass amount of animals appearing out of nowhere as they close in on me from all sides.

Quickly I reach for the coil of rope at my hip and lasso the rhino before twirling gracefully in the air.

In one swift motion I ram the rhino into the other animals and knock them all down like pins.

Satisfied with my work I fly away from the pile of knocked out creatures.

* * *

**On the other side of the room:**

A Black Panther lunges for Zatanna, claws extended dangerously as the animal prepares to sink them deep into her flesh. At the last moment she manages to duck in time causing him to miss his target and instead land on a table located behind her.

He repeats the move and she yet again dodges his attack with a swift elegance.

He hisses at her angrily, boldly showing his pearl white fangs as he hunches low to the table top preparing to attack once more.

"elbat eb egac!" She commands while simultaneously pointing her wand forward. The table suddenly shifts under the paws of the large cat before enveloping the Black Panther within its steel gray bars.

Zatanna breathes out a sigh in relief, ignoring the Panthers agitated hisses before running back to Diana's side.

* * *

**Diana's POV**

I remain silent but don't hold back from glaring mercilessly at Circe.

She watches us both while hovering in the air on her side as if she actually were lying on a big pink fluffy sofa.

"You're both beginning to remind me of Sisyphus after a hard day of pushing his boulder up the mountain, but me? I could keep this up ALL night." She remarks.

Circe raises her hands high above her head as they crackle with purplish energy and frowns angrily at me.

"Why did you come here Amazon? You ruined my big night!"

I step forward and cross my arms before answering her question.

"I came here so that you can return my friends back into their original forms."

She lowers her hands slowly as an amused expression crosses her face.

"So you thought that you could just waltz in here and demand that I do such a thing without you doing something in turn?" She shakes her head. "Magic always comes at a price."

"What is it that you want?"

She abruptly throws her head and lets out a throaty laugh, full of harsh mirth.

I clench my teeth and hands in frustration.

"Oh it isn't that easy my darling. This is not something you can pay just by dancing and singing." Her eyes narrow. "Besides I already know that you most likely can do those things." She says somewhat bitterly before shaking her head. "But that's not the point. The_ point_ is that I have found myself to be very entertained by your current dilemma. You just make it so fun to observe from afar. Almost like T.V."

She smiles at me widely, enjoying my growing agitation.

I breathe in through my nose to try and calm down.

"Name it and I'll do it." I reply coolly, raising my chin in the air.

She floats close to me and leans in closer.

"Dearest Diana, you should know me better by now." She whispers to me before backing away once more.

"You're right, I should know better and now I realize that this is all just a game to you and it won't end until you win." I reply, glaring at her.

She chuckles at me lightly, her teeth gleaming in the light.

"That and much more darling. So why not let the games continue when it's so much fun. Instead of you just doing one task I'm going to have you complete a series of challenges before you can get what you want." She says, dangling her hands in the air.

This is not what I was expecting, perhaps a journey through the depths of Tarturas, or even having to fight a monster of the unknown. But Circe has other plans. She enjoys playing with me.

"When do these tasks begin?" I ask grimly.

"Oh you'll know when the time comes. Believe me, you won't miss it."

She drags a manicured nail under my chin before whirling in a tornado of smoke and vanishing.

I rub my fingers on my forehead and sigh in exasperation.

"So much for that, now we are basically back where we started." Zatanna huffs out.

I turn my head to face her and frown.

"Not exactly where we started, I promised to help both Bruce and Kal and that's what I'm going to do."

She looks at me closely and nods her head.

"You know that she is up to no good. She's going to play with you."

"I know, but I have no other choice."

I walk up to her and grasp her shoulder.

"I want to thank you Zatanna for helping me with all this."

She smiles at me good naturally. "I'm always up for an adventure." Her expression turns serious once more. "Promise me that if you need any more help, you'll call me."

I nod. "Yeah, but can you do me one more favor before you go?"

She tilts her head at me."Sure. What is it?"

"Can you drop me off at the mansion?" She laughs at my request and I grin at her. It may have not been the way I wanted to end the day, but Zatanna's humor is infectious.

"Sure." She responds and in no time I find myself back in the dark shadows of the Batcave.

I can only hope that whatever Circe is throwing my way, that it come fast so that this can all be over with.

* * *

**So what do you all think? I knew that I couldn't end this chapter with the traditional singing, and by Wonder Woman no less. I figured that part was all Batman and should stay that way. I have more in store for this story and I hope you guys keep on reading.**

**Review! Until the next chapter. Adios**


	12. Chapter 12 Beginning

**Hello everyone! Sorry for not updating soon. I've gotten sidetracked with my other story A World Without Wonder Woman? And schools started, leaving me even less time to type up my chapters. So I will try to keep up regular updates but forgive me if I can't. A big cheer for those who have reviewed either the last chapter or previous ones. Thanks Nightwing 509, Amanda, SakuraPheonix13, Ni Castle, Littlemsstrawberry, bubblestar888 and twostar for reviewing. It's always great to hear from you guys, and I hope to continue to read more comments from you all. Also thanks to everyone who has favorited this story, it's always good to know that enjoyed reading ,Tess talking for me anymore reading for you. Enjoy!**

* * *

The warm breeze runs through my ebony locks, tugging at my ends and swirling them about my face gently. The current pushes against my body in a friendly shove like a puppy eager to play fetch. The sun's rays bathe my form, causing me to glow and shine as I drift lazily in the light blue sky. Breathing in deeply, I absorb the faint perfumes of summer flowers, and crisp green grass intermingled with a hint of refreshing spring water. Such a beautiful and extraordinary day. Enjoying the soothing affects of mother nature I begin to feel the muscles loosen within my neck, arms and lower back.

Stretching my arms out wide, I close my eyes and relax. Slowly I begin to raise my arms above my head, reaching towards the heavens. The tinkling sound of Blue birds as they swirl about my floating figure brings a smile to my lips. Peace and quite.

Abruptly I wrench my arms away from their original position and strike forward into empty air. Concentrating, I am able to create an imaginary figure as my target. I slice my left hand forward, striking along where a human's collar bone would be located. Bringing my knee upward, I grunt and thrust my foot outward in a wide arch. I grin as I feel the familiar rush of adrenaline running through my body at the very prospect of sparring with another opponent. Quickly I fall into a pattern of swift graceful kicks, jabs and punches as I continue to strike into empty space.

Realistically practicing any technique of fighting while flying is a tedious task. You constantly have to make sure that you are always balanced and in proper form less you drop out of the sky like a heavy weight rock. Unfortunately I have no training room to release any pent up frustrations or energy, forcing me to use un-routine like exercising method. The Watchtower is off limits until this whole situation is resolved, and Bruce's training room had been mysteriously wrecked. It wasn't too hard to figure out just who tried to train in the room what with the immense amounts of claw marks that had decorated the black punching bag. I now find myself dreading the very prospect of finding him trying to suit up for an unauthorized nightly patrol. The only thing keeping him from just running off already is based on two things, #1 I don't believe Bruce is too keen on being thoroughly scolded by either me or Alfred at the moment, #2 Is the simple fact that he has a higher chance of killing someone if he makes one wrong move. But Bruce is smart. Sooner or later he will find a way around those two millstones and while he is contemplating his next wave of actions I must be on high alert.

I issue a complicated round house kick, while simultaneously bringing my elbow down in a deadly blow. My hands slice through the air like flying knives, creating small gusts of wind caused by my rapid movements. I breathe in through my nose and exhale through my mouth, maintaining a steady breathing pattern and a strong heartbeat rhythm. Swinging my legs upward, I summersault in the air and go over the occurrences of these past few days.

It may sound strange but this past week having been spent around both Bruce and Kal has allowed me to become closer to them. Or at least Kal. Of course me and Kal have always been the best of friends but there are some things that I have never truly noticed about him while he was human. Like the way he always tends to sleep on his side during naps or the simple fact that he too enjoyed reading. Apparently J'onn was accurate in his assumption that they would still remember everything that they had learned before the transformation. Every time I would curl up on the window seat, he would jump up and settle comfortably behind me in order to read over my shoulder or listen to me read out loud. Kal has always been a gentleman but I can't help but smile at the memory of him holding the door open for me with his body while allowing me to pass through freely and into the kitchen.

Yet I can sense something amidst with him. Ever since the time at the Watchtower I have kept my eye on him, observing him from afar. At times I can see the turmoil clearly in his eyes, haunting his bright blue pupils. Thinking back I realize that this has been going on for awhile, ever since that last battle with Darkseid. Since then he has become more cautious in the battles he would fight in, more unsure of his self control, as if one thing will cause him to blow. With him being an animal it is harder to overlook that feeling of silent anger, confusion and fear than when he had been normal human Kal. At times I will find him spacing out, his mind elsewheredebating over some unknown circumstance. Once this is all over, I am going to have to talk to J'onn about this sudden development.

I sense a sudden feeling of movement beneath me and I snap my eyes open, pausing my clenched fist in midair. I lock my gaze unto that of the dark figure prowling the grounds protectively. I can't help but narrow my eyes and smirk as I continue to watch the large carnivore stealthily weave his way around multiple bushes and logs. He knows I'm here yet he choosestoo ignore me.

Slowly, I let my arms fall to my side as I lift my head upward and close my eyes against the glare of the sun. Bruce. The most elusive of the two. One minute he will be trailing behind me and the next minute he would be gone to who knows where. More than once I could feel the heat of his gaze as it bored into the back of my head while I read. Something has subtly shifted within him, yet I can't tell if its something good, or bad. He has become more cautious when he is around me, as if he isn't sure wether to venture close to me or completely shun me. He has also started to act a bit differently around Kal also... Almost a little hostile.

Something is going on between those two. With each passing day, more and more things one does manages to rub the other the wrong way. Such as what happened a few nights ago. It had become a habit, sleeping on the other side of the bed that I would sleep on. As if they were actually house cats slumbering next to their owner. I would have found it cute to some extent if it weren't for their constant shoving off of the bed routine. Finally I had grown tiresome of their quarrels and got up to move to the couch in the living room. I hadn't wanted to bother Alfred at such a late hour in order to prepare another room for me to sleep in and had settled myself as comfortably as I could on the stiff cushions. The next morning I woke up only to find them both sleeping on the rug spread out in front of the sofa. Snoring slightly and as far as from eacother as possible of course.

Now I am not even too sure what their second dilemma had been about. Kal had decided to get comfy next to me and place his paws and head on my lap while I read like usual, when Bruce began to growl lowly in his throat. Kal immediately responded by glaring back in return. I was able to ignore that until both decided to abruptly stand which then caused Kal to knock the book right out my hands.

It then became more heated. I could feel the tips of Kal's claws digging into my thighs as he crawled across my lap and closer toward Bruce, who was resting on the other side of the couch. Then without warning they were lunging at each other. Quickly I intervened, gripping them by the back of their necks and pulling them apart.

"Enough!" I snapped at both of them. "What is your problem? I know that you two aren't the greatest BFFS of the world, but you all know better than to act like this towards each other." I had hissed, crossing my arms over my chest and looking both of them in the eyes. "Now I don't know what is wrong with you two, but you both better get your act together or else it is to the bathtub for the both of you." Kal instantly backed away and cowered slightly. Bruce just glared at me defiantly as if daring me to try and make him.

"Don't think I won't." I had replied sternly before whipping myself around and walking out of the room.

I entered the kitchen and pulled out a polished wood stool before taking a seat.

"I don't understand Alfred. Sometimes I think that those two are the most complex people I could have come to know on Earth." I had sighed out while reaching for a warm cookie on the cooling rack.

Alfred turned away from the stove and looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes.

"My Dear would it be so hard to accept the fact that possibly both of these men are perhaps just a bit jealous?"

I had looked at him quizzically. "Jealous? Jealous of what exactly?" I inquired curiously with a raised eyebrow.

"Of each other of course. They are jealous when the other ventures too close to what they see as theirs."

I am rendered speechless. No it can't be true. Or could it? Was it possible that all they were doing was vying for my attention and presence? Did Bruce perhaps harbor feelings for me? But what about Kal? Didn't he have Lois? Alfred had to be mistaken, but then again Alfred was never wrong. Oh Hera, why did this have to happen to me?

Alfred takes my silence as a sign to continue. "They are two Tigers who have been living in the same house for over a week. It is a well known fact that two animals of such attributes cannot dwell in the same territory for long or share a certain prize without any mishaps." His mustache subtly twitches at that. I chose to ignore it. I don't have the time to dwell on such wild assumptions. They were only bored out of their minds and agitated. Nothing more, nothing less. Maybe.

"What do you propose I should do Alfred?" His face once again becomes serious at my question, before answering me. "You must continue to try and reverse this process Miss Diana. The longer they are animals the more they will act like it."

I of course know this to be true. I have no other option but to try and continue to fix this problem, but frustratingly Circe hadn't created a single commotion. It has been five days. Five days without knowing what Circe has planned for me. Everyone is becoming restless. Both Kal and Bruce's patience is running thin. There is only so much I can do to keep the peace between the two.

I begin to slowly descend to the ground, keeping my eyes on the form of Bruce prowling around. I touch down on the grass, my red boots crushing the thick blades underneath me. Fingering my lasso I stroll up the hill before me and come to a complete stop next to an abandoned well. I proceed to push away a few stray limbs and peer down into the dark depths below. Squinting I realize that about halfway down the passage lies a securely placed wooden platform. Undoubtedly to prevent anyone from falling through, or perhaps for some other unknown reason. Picking up on a slight sound, I look over my shoulder and spy two dark emerald eyes staring back at me from the darkness of the shadows. They briefly flicker to the well, and a look of recognition crosses his face before coming to land on me once more.

We continue to stare at each other, neither one of us moving a muscle. His eyes bore into mine with such intensity, that for a moment I feel as if I can't breathe. I am the first to break eye contact and cast my glance about the area in order to distract myself for the moment. A tingling sensation begins at the tips of my ears and crawls down the length of my body due to his gaze. How can one man be the cause of such an effect on me with his eyes alone? Only one other man had been able to come close to making me feel like this, but it was a long time ago. Before I had learned that he had another in his life.

I cast my eyes back to that of Bruce and open my mouth in order to utter some sort of greeting. But I don't get the chance to do so. Out of nowhere, what sounds like a sonic boom explodes from behind me. I whip my head around, my arms securely placed at the sides of my face in order to defend myself if the need will arise.

Right above the well, a blue hued portal hs appeared. A portal that looks similar to that of a boom tube. The feeling of fur brushing against my thigh draws my attention downward, where Bruce stands protectively, with his head lowered.

"What do you think Bruce?" I ask out loud. He only snarls slightly in response, meaning that he doesn't like this situation one bit. Returning my gaze to the mysterious vortex, I manage to catch a glimpse of a lush green landscape mixed with a scattering of gray rugged rocks. Bruce barely moves, but I catch the sight of his nose twitching slightly as he picks up on some lingering scent. I too pick up an unnatural perfume wafting through the portal. A scent unlike any on earth but I catch the presence of another underlying smell. A smell that I have come to be familiar with these past few weeks. Circe. She told me that I wouldn't be able to miss the time when she wanted me to execute one of her challenges. Apparently now it is that time.

I lower my forearms and straighten myself from the poised stance I had taken. Walking up to the portal, I gently place my fingers into the large blue swirl. I gasp as I feel the intensity of the portal sucking at my fingers. Quickly I wrench my fingers loose and rub them together in order to gain feeling in the once more. I grimace slightly as the stinging sensation slowly ebbs away from my finger tips leaving it slightly pale in color. Leave it to Circe to make transportation between two worlds painful.

Taking a deep breath I grasp the outer lip of the well and pull myself up. Balancing myself on the thin rim made of stone, I twist around to look at Bruce only to find him leaping up next to me. "Bruce." I say in warning. He peers up at me with narrowed eyes, daring me to try and continue to argue with him. I purse my lips in defeat and nod my head. "Here we go." I sigh out before forcing my way into the portal. I grit my teeth as the feeling of thousands of needles pricking my body assults me to no end. A bright white light explodes before me and then there is only darkness.

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**Not much action in this chapter but hopefully the next one will be more entertaining for all of you. In this one I guess I wanted to further exposé the sense of a love triangle between these three and the knowledge that Superman is having a silent turmoil going on within him. Reasons for his behavior will be revealed in further chapters but let us not get ahead of ourselves. :) Anyways, review and share your thoughts. Bye!**


	13. Chapter 13 Cave of Torment

**Hello Everyone! I am back with another chapter. Sorry that I haven't updated as soon, I hope this chapter will make up for it. :D Humongous Thanks to SakuraPheonix13, 5starbarbie, Skillgannon The Damned, R, Ni Castle, and twostar for reviewing and or commenting. Thanks also goes those who have favorited this story. As always you guys that all review on any chapter are all awesome. So read and hopefully enjoy this chapter of Wonder Woman's first challenge.**

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Blinking rapidly I manage to regain spots of my vision that at first are blurry before becoming clear once again. The brightness of the sun blazing down from the sky irritates my sensitive eyes slightly causing me to bow my head in order to shade my face more comfortably. A burning tingling sensation begins at the tip of my head and roves down the length of my body, causing me to shudder. Clenching my fists I wince as the joints of my fingers ache in a blazing pain before dulling to a less noticeable throb.

I breathe in through my nostrils, and squint as I take in my surroundings as best as I can at the moment. Surrounding me on both sides are immense walls of rock, topped with a scattering of dark green ferns. Overhead black birds soar through the air, gliding on gentle wind currents and keeping a sharp eye out for any easy prey.

Suddenly remembering that I had not stepped through the portal alone, I whip myself around abruptly in order to assess Bruce for any possible injuries. My eyes widen as I peer into the white slits of a pointy eared cowl and a firmly placed scowl.

"Bruce?" I whisper lowly in slight disbelief. Reaching my hand outward I grasp his shoulder in order to confirm his presence. Heat radiates off of him in waves, sending a slight shiver to shoot up through my arm. "You're human." I remark, letting my hand fall from his forearm. He grunts in answer and examines his hands before nodding his head curtly in confirmation.

It is his turn to assess the area and I watch his features closely as he examines our new found location. His face is set in stone, no such features as shock or confusion noticeable on his face.

"Where are we?" I utter lowly, before stepping forward.

"You are far from home." A soft voice answers from behind us. Both Bruce and I whip ourselves around in union. Sitting on the smooth surface of a rock is a young woman with delicate features. A thick, long, brown braid wraps around from her back to the front of her body. Her long, thin fingers caress the length of the silver harp resting on her lap. Lifting her eyes upward I find myself staring into the most unusual mixture of bright blue, gold, and green hues all mixed into one swirling color. Dark lashes adorn her eyes, accenting her perfectly arched eyebrows and porcelain white skin. She smiles softly at us both, tilting her head slightly in greeting. "Welcome strangers of another earth, to my home, a place of peace and hospitality."

Bruce of course skips the formalities and gets directly down to business.

"Who are you, and why are we here?" He growls out, narrowing his eyes at her in suspicion.

She bows her head down once more and begins running her fingers softly over the metallic strings.

"You were sent here to complete a task." She replies, pausing, to point at me. "You on the other hand were not." She comments to Bruce before she resumes her idle playing of the instrument. "To answer your question I am no one particular. For now I will inform you of the duty that lies before you. A woman has chosen me to direct you on the beginning of your journey."

"Circe." I state out loud, her head nods in confirmation at the name.

"What does this have to do with Circe, Princess." Bruce asks, crossing his arms over his chest as he waits for me to answer. I turn to him and place my hand on my hips before speaking. "In order for Circe to change you and Kal back to human form, I agreed to complete a series of challenges of her choosing. This here apparently is one of them." I end, sweeping my arm about me, indicating the environment around us.

"You didn't tell me about this before." He accuses. "Is there anything else you would like to tell me?" His lens narrows in suspicion. I open, then close my mouth, as if to speak before clearing my throat and shaking my head "No." He grunts lowly and glares at me, clearly not believing me. Now is the time to tell him of the night Alfred secretly showed me his baby pictures.

To prevent myself from smiling at the memory of his cute little baby face, I turn back to the young woman. "Before you tell me of my challenge can you tell us of our location?"

"You are currently present in an alternative Asian society where people that resemble what you call a category of certain "Meta" power heads reside abundantly. Although. We prefer to be known as "Benders" and take our powers as gifts from our protectors most seriously. For the task that she has chosen for you, you must travel through the never ending maze of tunnels also known as the "Cave of Torment."

"Great." I hear Bruce mutter under his breath. I ignore him and question the young woman again.

"What is this "Cave of Torment"?" I ask of her.

"It is a Labyrinth filled with unknown mysteries and torturous outcomes if you come upon the wrong path. A place that strikes fear into the hearts of even the bravest of men."

"Labyrinth?" I say in slight confusion.

"I'm sure you will figure it out." She lifts her eyes to that of Bruce. "Both of you seem intelligent enough."

"All you need to do is trust in love, according to the curse." She remarks, once again gazing at her musical harp.

"A curse." Bruce says with complete distaste evident in his tone.

"Yes a curse. More precisely the curse of the two lovers."

"What exactly is this curse?" I ask curiously.

"The curse says that only those who trust in love can make it through the caves, otherwise you'll be trapped in them forever and die. There is an ancient tale that has been passed around for generations about the origins of this curse. Wether or not it is true. I do not know."

Her fingers pluck the cords in a rhythmic pattern, garnering music from the harp. Her silky voice floats up to my ears as she unravels a story from her lips.

"A man and a woman met on top of a mountain that divided their two villages. The villages were enemies so they could not be together. But their love was strong and they found a way."

Bruce snorts. "I don't have time for story telling." He growls out before turning away. I lash out with my left hand and grip him by his arm. Spinning him around and dragging him back next to me, I lean in close to him and whisper next to his ear. "You will stay until she has finished." I order. He huffs out in annoyance but doesn't budge from his spot again.

"The two lovers learned earth bending from the Badger Moles; An ancient race of beings that lived secluded in the mountains, never to have been seen before. The lovers became the first earth benders. They built a labyrinth tunnel so they could meet secretly. Anyone who tried to follow them would be lost forever in the labyrinth, tormented fiercely only to die in anguish and pain, but one day the man did not come. He died in the war between the two villages. Devastated the woman released a terrible display of her earth bending power. She could have destroyed them all but instead she declared the war over. Both villages helped her build a new city where they would come to live together in peace. The great city was named after both the lovers as a monument to their unbreakable love. But the cave still lies hidden in this valley, used as punishment to those who rebel and break our laws. They are never seen again. It is a reminder to the people of our city the pain and suffering war and dispute causes. For you it is a death trap. Courage will not help you here, but the will to survive may."

"There is no way were going through a cursed hole." Bruce growls from beside me. I ignore him completely and continue to speak.

"So all we need is to trust in love to get through these caves?"

"That is correct Princess of the Amazons." She replies softly.

Bruce steps forward menacingly. "You sure know a lot about us. Yet we know nothing of you. Why?"

Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I study him briefly before locking eyes with the young mistress.

"We can make it." I say with a nod.

She rises from her seat and seemingly glides past us clearly not planning to answer Bruce at all.

"Come I must show you the way."

Glancing at Bruce I purse my lips and follow her, him not trailing too far behind.

"How Far away are we from the tunnel?" I question.

"Not far. Patience." She answers.

No one utters a single word after that. Bruce is quite and silent, yet his presence reassures me as he strides next to me. Glancing around once more, I take in the sites of all the wildlife and nature. It's amazing to know that a place such as this could have such a devastating place.

"Here it is, The Cave of Torment." She calls out while coming to a full stop.

The entrance is plain and looming all at the same time. Sharp rocks accent the sides of the gaping black hole, it's mouth stretched wide open in agony. A veil of vines hangs over the front like a shredded curtain. She turns to us one last time, smiling at us lightly before flipping a hood that I had not noticed before up over her head.

"Good luck and may strength be with you." With those last words she shrinks back into the darkness of the forest and disappears from view as if she was never here.

Breathing in through my nostrils, I grip my lasso with my hand and step toward the gaping hole. A firm hand grips me about my arm and I come to a halt more out of surprise than anything. Looking at Bruce, I find him glaring back at me intensely. Concern apparent on the lines creasing the sides of his thinned lips.

"I don't like this Diana. Who knows what is in there."

"Bruce, we have no choice, and you know that." I whisper to him lowly. He stares at me for a moment before nodding his head and releasing me of his hold. A thrilling yet unsettling feeling washes over me as we step ever closer to the unknown territory of this alternative dimension.

Time seems to slow as we pass through the entrance, our footsteps echoing around us. Our feet colliding with the hard packed soil vibrates through the ground. Whatever lies before us, I can only hope that we will survive it. The air becomes musky, the smell of dirt and stale water filling my nose. So different from the sweet aromas filtering out of the kitchen at Bruce's Manor. I know that Alfred will not worry too much at my sudden disappearance but I cannot be sure of Kal. Knowing him, he will worry, especially since he had neither known of what had transpired with Circe.

Suddenly a large quake shakes the earth, rocking the ground back and forth unsteadily. Boulders collapse from above slamming into the ground and spewing out mounds of dirt and small pebbles. Rocks fall in a shower of rain, pelting me, and washing over me violently. The light from behind me begins to dim away as it it replaced with thick smoke. Once the dust clears from the air and I can breathe easily again, I take a step forward, running my hands over the jagged walls in order to find my way.

"Bruce?" I call out with a slight cough, the dust particles in the air forcing its way into my lungs, uninvitingly.

In response, a light flickers on beside me, illuminating the rocks somewhat. Turning my head I notice, with a impressed raise of my eyebrow, that it is only the lens of Bruce's cowl. Typical Bruce. Of course he would be prepared for something such as this.

Glancing behind me I take in the dim sight of the immense boulders piled high in a massive mound of sheer rock and dirt. Shards of light piercing through the small gaps between each rock.

"It seems as though we are truly stuck inside here." I say a bit more grimly than I intended to sound. Bruce takes a stand next to me, touching his fingers lightly against my elbow reassuringly.

"Follow me princess. I have a plan."

"Of course you do Bruce. Mind sharing this plan of yours?"

He places his right hand against his temple, seemingly staring aimlessly into space. Although, I suspect he is rather analyzing our surroundings with a high tech internal computer of some sort.

"I'm going to make a map to keep track of exactly were we have been. That way we will be able to solve it like a maze and get through." He replies before walking ahead of me, leaping over unseen obstacles, as he leads the way. I shake my head, trying to view what is in front of me in order to see where I am going. Extending one foot forward, I immediately smack my shin against a sharp stone. I hiss slightly in annoyance as I feel the faint wetness of blood trailing down my leg. Bruce immediately stops at the noise and backtracks to me.

"Something wrong Diana?" He questions curtly.

"No Bruce. I'm just a bit unfocused at the moment."

He says nothing in reply and instead reaches out towards me, gripping my hand loosely, and maneuvering me around some rubble. I frown slightly as I squint, trying to peer into the darkness. Usually I have no trouble with my vision but at the moment it seems that the Cave is too dark for me to see well enough.

Screeching nocturnal creatures of unknown species scream out in madness, their unnatural calls resounding through the air and enveloping us from all sides. The sound of rushing water trickles in the background, creating an even more eerie effect to the cave. The echoing sounds of inhuman like moans and growls pound against my ears, creating an unsettling feeling in the atmosphere. My eyes, finally having grown accustomed to the lack of lighting, allow me to better see the outline of the cave, and the shadows of mysterious creatures slithering around us as we continue to walk.

Soon we stop, finding ourselves at a fork in the pathway.

Releasing Bruce's hand I walk forward peering at both entrances, looking for any subtle hint as to where we should go.

Beside me Bruce flips open another secret compartment alongside his forearm, revealing a miniaturized computer database. Glancing at it, I realize that there are two blinking dots on a sketchy image of our surrounding pathways.

Looking closer I discover that the blue dot represents himself and...

The red one represents...

Me.

"Bruce? Why am I on that map?" I question while crossing my arms over my chest.

"Security reasons." He answers back unemotionally.

"Uh huh? So do you have one for all the League members? Or is it only for certain special founding members. And might I add. Where exactly do you have a tracking device located on me?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

He continues to type in information on his portable device while completely ignoring my question.

_Just like I thought he would._

Pulling my tiara off of my head I feel along the smooth panes of gold in search for any small gadgets. Frowning, I place it back once more on my forehead, preparing to inspect my bracelets when Bruce interrupts me.

"This way." He orders, walking toward the left tunnel, his black cape swirling about his boots in a slight hiss. I follow closely, mulling over the fact of my newfound discovery. Bruce always claims that he does not care, but for all that his denials are worth I know that, that is not the case. In fact it is far from the truth. The fact that Bruce always makes sure to keep J'onn's Oreos fully stocked is another piece of viable evidence. Although, he could claim that a unhappy telepathic was not useful for the team, hence the reason for doing such an act. But, I'd like to think that it is because he cares. Even a little.

**Thirty Minutes Later:**

"Bruce this is the tenth dead end you have led us to." I say with furrowed brows. There are times when technology can't work, but for the Bat that is not true. It has always helped him in the greatest. At the moment though, I beg to differ. Despite the accuracy of his electronic map, we are still utterly lost within the confines of this monstrous cave.

I to of course had been mentally keeping track of where we had been, but even that has not been working well for me.

"This doesn't make any sense we've already come through this way." He replies somewhat frustratingly.

"There's something strange going on here and there is only one explanation. The tunnels are changing." He takes in a deep breath. "It has to be magic of some sort. I hate magic. It always manages to disrupt the pattern of logic." He growls out.

Suddenly the ground begins to shake violently, catching me off guard and causing me to stumble. Rock explodes everywhere dangerously, sharp spikes of earth piercing up through the ground one by one. I manage to leap in the air just in time before the rock pierces into the side of my thigh and tears into bone.

Bruce immediately responds by whipping out his grappling hook and shooting it up toward the ceiling, before it reels him up, jerking his body in the air where it is the safest. I continue to leap over the hazarded mounds of earth, kicking my legs outward in order to demolish a few of the piercing thorns. Spinning in the air, I whip out my lasso and successfully hook it on a narrow ledge before swinging myself to land atop of it gracefully.

Then suddenly it ends. Of course the unnatural formation of the ground is still the same but other than that everything is as it was before. I crouch low to the jutting rock, tuning in on my keen senses, listening for anything strange or peculiar that would alert me to another unwanted surprise. Mentally I berate myself for not catching unto what has just happened sooner. I am a warrior, trained for the most direst of situations. Now is not the time to start lacking in skills or in training. Why hadn't I heard the vibrations before hand? It wasn't like me to miss that.

Scanning my surroundings I take note of the precarious situation I have placed myself in without knowing. My eyes trace the thin cracking lines that trail over the base of my ledge. Definitely not good. A tiny shift of weight can send me plunging into the shards of lethal rock below.

Shifting my gaze farther from where I am, I spy Batman lowering himself carefully to the ground, maneuvering around any rock.

Slowly, I rise from my crouching position, making sure to not weaken the rock anymore. Tensing my legs I prepare to leap forward when, without warning, the ledge crumbles into dust, sending me to fall down into the depths below. Panic momentarily consumes me as I realize that I am not able to stop myself midair. The ability of flight has escaped me.

Two thick arms appear out of nowhere, wrapping themselves about my waist tightly and catching me. My hair flys into my face as Bruce swings through the cave, and lands safely on the ground. The soles of his boots smack against the rock with a loud thud before he loosens his hold on me.

"What happened back there?" He growls out, glaring at me. I shake my head. "I don't know Bruce. It seems that my powers have left me." I gaze at my hands, clenching them tightly before relaxing them. "I don't _feel _different." I murmur to myself.

Bruce shifts next to me, hooking his grappling hook back unto his utility belt.

Two fingers reach beneath my chin, tilting my head upward. My eyes lock with that of his lenses that glow a slight blue hue. I cannot tell from his expression what he is feeling, but as he speaks, I realize that his voice is not as harsh as it usually is.

"Be careful Princess. I can't finish this task without you." He stares at me, waiting for me to speak.

"I'm not going anywhere Bruce." I reply with an amused smirk at the seriousness of his tone. "Just because I have no powers, it doesn't mean that I can't handle myself."

The corner of his mouth lifts subtly. "I know."

Then it is as if the ground is no longer. The earth cracks open wide, preparing to devour us in its midst. It releases a mighty roar in victory as both Bruce and I begin to free fall.

Desperately I grasp the edge of crumbling rock, trying to find a solid hold. My fingers skitter over decaying roots and loose soil before I finally manage to grasp the sharp edge of a stable stone.

Whipping my head around, I catch a glimpse of Bruce clinging unto that of a tree root. Dirt bathes his suit, rubble embedding itself along his cape and utility belt.

"Bruce! Hold on." I yell at him.

I slam the toe of my foot against the side of the thick wall, trying to create a foothold for me. It does not break. _Hera, please give me strength._ Yet, the familiar rush of energy doesn't come. I am unable to penetrate the sheer rock as easily as I would have been able to before.

I watch with dread as the root he is holding unto slowly begins to break free from the soil, lowering Bruce even farther into the depths below. Gripping the ledge tighter, I try to reach for my lasso. My left shoulder strains as it is now the only thing holding me. The tips of my fingers slowly inch off of the rock as I search for the golden coils resting at my hip.

Then, the root cracks. The sound whipping through the air as Bruce is sent tumbling head over heels downward.

"Bruce!" I cry out as his form fully disappears into the pitch darkness, the glowing light of his lens flickering slightly before completely vanishing.

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**Alright so what do you readers think of this chapter? Is the challenge interesting enough or is it uninteresting to you? You may be all wondering why Wonder Woman doesn't have her powers. Well the reason is because this isn't her earth. If it were an alternative earth then she would still have them, since she was made from clay and has her powers as long as earth lives. But this here is a total different reality and dimension. A replica of her earth doesn't even exist in this realm or dimension, therefore no powers. Sorry if there was any grammar errors or jumbled words. So review and tell me what you think. Thanks :)**


	14. Chapter 14 What Just Happened?

**Tigress2929 here! :) Sorry I've been gone for a little while, been kinda busy. Thank you twostar, RunWithTheWolf, Guest, lauridoriew, hreft93, Ni Castle, and R for reviewing. You guys are all great and I enjoyed reading what you had to say. Glad that most of you got that little twist I did for this challenge and even more glad that you seem okay with it.**

**The beginning of this chapter is a bit different than the others due to the fact that it starts out with Batman's POV :) I'm not sure about this chapter because of all that goes on, but it sort of just "came to be." Oh and before I forget I'll just say that this chapter will probably not include any ATLA moments. So with that being said, have fun reading!**

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**Batman's POV:**

_Her voice calling out my name echoes within my head as I fall deeper and deeper into the belly of the cave. It roars out at me in victory as it claws at my suit, ripping it to shreds and breaking my skin wide open. The world around me withers away to nothingness as a layer of black bleeds into my line of vision and erases all sight of light._

_Finally I hit the ground, slamming my left foot on the hard packed earth and breaking it. A bone crunching sound reaches my ears before the onslaught of pain does. An explosion of dust completes my fall, shrouding me in its suffocating embrace and layering my skin with its heavy burden._

_I immediately try to stand, yet struggle slightly, due to the pain shooting up my leg. Stubbornly, I endure it and push away the feeling of pain as I have trained myself to do over the years, and continue forward._

_The light of my lenses flicker on and off continuously, allowing me to view my surroundings in short intervals of time. All around, rock surrounds me, a few sparse branches are the only vegetation to clothe the bare, looming walls. A slight hissing sound is the only disturbance in the atmosphere, everything else seems to be silent and abandoned._

_I can no longer hear Diana's voice, nor can I view my surroundings clearly. Everything in my head seems to be buzzing as I stand alone, physically beaten and broken._

_I no longer have a sense of where I am or what I am doing. It is as if life itself is nonexistent to me. The hissing sound continues, intermingling with the voice of Diana's, echoing throughout the cave, calling out my name with a hint of desperation._

_I walk forward, searching for her, responding to her calls with harsh, short growls of my own in return._

_She doesn't hear me, her voice seems to fade away, traveling away from me. My heart starts to beat a bit faster as I try to run, yet I can't. Not with my leg ruined like this. "Diana!" I call out, but it is no use. I have lost her._

_Suddenly a hand clamps me on the shoulder. Instinctively I whip around, ready to punch the intruder in the face._

_Fist clenched, teeth gritted in anger, batarang ready in my other hand, I freeze._

_"What are you doing here?" I snarl out, lowering my fist. He releases his hold on me before backing away a few steps._

_"Why else would I be here Bruce?" He answers in exasperation. "I figured, why not tag along, who knows what could happen?" He finishes, eyeing my torn suit and bleeding leg._

_"How did you even get here?" I question further, feeling slightly irritated at his presence._

_"The portal. It was pretty hard to miss it when I was looking for you guys." He says with a raised brow._

_"And?" I growl out._

_"And what Bruce?" He shrugs his shoulders. "That lady showed me the way."_

_I narrow my eyes at him suspiciously. "The cave collapsed, how'd you get in?"_

_He shakes his head and walks toward one of the walls. He clenches his right hand into a fist and slams it into the rock, shaking the ground and sending pebbles to liter the floor. "Like that." He answers._

_Glaring, I consent to nodding my head curtly at him before stalking away._

_"Bruce! Wait! Where are you going?" He calls out to my retreating back. I ignore him, intent on finding Diana and finishing this mission of sorts, but something causes me to still. I pause and come to a complete stop, not daring to move, barely breathing. Something shifts next to me. Subtle, stealthy and dangerous._

_"Bruce. Aren't you going to even answer me?" He grumbles._

_"Not now Clark." I snap at him. Thankfully he shuts up. Something definitely is not right here. I can feel it. The earth shakes, growling in fury before stilling, and that's when everything goes horribly wrong._

_Clicking sounds erupt all around us, gaining volume with each passing second. Swiftly I reach for my utility belt and whip out a batarang, preparing for battle. Little do I know, is that I'm not the one in immediate danger. __The sounds stop, a tense silence stretching in its wake. Then everything breaks loose._

_Dozens of green glowing insects unlatch themselves from the walls, slamming into me and clinging unto my armor. They swarm me, crawling over my arms and legs, breaking through the Kevlar material and puncturing skin._

_A strangled cry emits from behind me alerting me to the fact that Kent is in distress. Whipping myself around, my eyes widen in horror as I take in the sight of Superman on his knees, gasping for breath, deep red welts marring his face as millions of the little pests engulf him in their suffocating embrace._

_Kryptonite. The rock like creatures contain kryptonite, hence the reason for their green coloration. That is the only explanation for Clark's current condition. With a growl I tear off a group of ravaging insects from the side of my face as they begin to try and burrow their way under my flesh._

_Before me a dozen of them have already had success in doing just that to Clark. Across his face, and hands large swollen bulges rove under his skin, running in jagged zig-zag patterns, causing him to scream out in pain. Blood oozes from the gaping wounds, lathering the remaining insects on the surface also trying to enter his body, in the hot, thick liquid. His body shudders and jerks in apparent agony, his fingers clawing at his own skin in a desperate attempt to rip the little buggers from his body._

_I slam my back against the wall, crushing some of them from the impact and successfully ending their rein of terror. Launching myself forward, I attempt to try and relieve Clark's heavy burden by spraying them all with a powerful insecticide. With a frustrated snarl, I toss it aside as soon as I realize that it is no use._

_"Clark! Listen to me, you have to fight them." I roar out at him, sweeping off as many as I can while simultaneously attacking the ones on me. He doesn't hear me, instead he futilely attempts to try and crawl away, roaring in anguish. By now his skin has changed to a deathly shade of purple, blood dripping from his nose and mouth as the bugs have now reached the deeper parts of his insides._

_I fall to the ground as something heavy and solid wraps itself around my ankle, yanking me backwards. Looking up, I find myself glaring into the face of the ugliest beast I have ever seen in my life. A myth conjured up by layer upon layer of horrid features. Sharp fangs stretch into a wide grin, bleary yellow eyes peer down at me from its dry, pale sockets. Yet it does nothing. It just sits there, watching and holding unto me securely. "Gaze upon his impending doom human. Your comrade will die right before your very own eyes." It snarls out, casting its line of vision over my head._

_Twisting my head around, I watch Clark as he continues to struggle with the little monsters. By now he is unrecognizable in appearance, accept for the shards of blue and red clothing still clinging unto his rotten flesh. The beetles crawling inside of him jerk and stretch his skin in unnatural directions, tearing it wide open and exposing the underlying bones. His head whips toward me, his now dull eyes silently pleading for help. "Bruce... Help... Me..." He gasps out before falling to his side and curling into a fetal position._

_I kick out my free leg, trying to get loose, but it is useless. The thing feels no pain and it wont let go no matter what. Throwing the batarang in my hand at the animal proves to be even more useless as it explodes against it without creating a single dent._

_Superman's cries dim to low moans before completely ending. His body lays unmoving and becomes deathly silent. Parts of his body still jerk around in movement, yet i know that it is not because he is alive._

_"No..." I whisper lowly. I clench my hands in anger, gritting my teeth and squeezing my eyes shut as a rush of adrenaline courses through my body. Snapping them open I prepare to beat the monster senseless. To break every bone in its body and make it pay. To make it feel the same pain and agony Clark had felt. To show it just how truly dangerous the Bat can be._

_Glancing around I find him nowhere in sight, the weight that was once on my ankle is now gone, replaced with empty air. Clark's body is also gone. Having disappeared without a trace. Standing up, I search for any sign of him. Limping forward, I look for his body. Nothing. It is as if he were never here to begin with. A splitting headache then tears through my head, causing me to grimace in pain._

_I slow down trying to sort through the thoughts in my mind. It is a jumbled mess, filled with incomprehensible realities and outcomes. The colors of my surroundings dull to a dark hue, creating a despairing atmosphere. Suddenly I seem unable to properly fill my lungs with oxygen as I pant for breath. Lifting my head from the clutches of my hands, I stop short, freezing as **she** comes into my line of view._

_She glows with an unnatural light, her glorious raven hair framing her face, illuminating her deep blue eyes. Her mouth moves, yet no sound emits from her lips. Studying her further, I realize that her face is contorted into the very picture of confusion. Her forehead creased, her eyes narrowed in concentration and her head delicately cocked to the side. Slowly her voice reaches my ears, pounding against my head and creating another dull ache._

_"Bruce? Where is he?" She repeats once more, stopping to wait for my reply._

_"Who Princess?" I ask back softly. She just shakes her head. "Who else would I ask of Bruce? Now stop stalling and answer me. Where is he? Where is Kal?" She demands._

_Why is she asking me this? How does she know that he was here? She doesn't know yet though. She is oblivious to what has just occurred._

_My silence is her answer. Her expression changes from one of confusion to that of a deep sadness. She can sense that something bad has happened. Her shoulders hunch forward and I ache to go comfort her, but I don't. I know. I saw it with my own two eyes._

_"What happened?" She asks softly, searching my eyes. I'm silent for a while longer before speaking. "He's dead Diana." Deep feelings of regret and guilt course through my very being as I speak those three words. I must confess what all went wrong. It weighs heavily on me, pressing down on me. _

_Peering closely at me, she takes note of my rigid stance, before daring to step closer. "Bruce." It is said with pity and sadness. So unlike her usual fierce, compassionate self. "What have you done?" Before I can stop myself, the words escape from my lips and toward her ears._

_"I was with him when he died." She stares at me, her features stricken and slightly shocked. I continue onward with my story, inching closer to her._

_"He... He was in pain, begging for my help and all I could do was watch as it all happened." I purse my lips in to a tight line, contemplating on wether or not I should say more. I choose the former choice._

_"He tried to fight them off but he wasn't strong enough. I could have tried to do more yet... I didn't... I... Couldn't... I didn't fight harder and that cost him his life." By now I am standing right in front of her, merely an arms length away._

_Her face twists into anger before she schools it into a neutral expression. I watch her closely waiting for a reaction, yet nothing happens. No scalding remarks. No heated argument on her part, and more importantly no fist connecting with the side of my face. I clench my hands, angry and guilty. Something would be better than nothing. I try another tactic, by saying something else in order for her to respond back harshly. Something stupid... inconceivable... anything in order to render a reaction from her stone cold face._

_"Diana I need to see your face light up. Smile, laugh do anything to show me that you are okay." As if she would do such a thing after hearing my confession. She should be beating me to a bloody pulp by now or choking me to death._

_But she doesn't._

_She just stares at me with a dead look in her eyes. Devoid of any emotions or feelings. It is all my fault. I am the cause for all of this. This is by far worse than any torture that could ever physically be inflicted upon me._

_I smack my hand against the wall beside her head, yet she doesn't even flinch at the movement._

_"Please, Diana." I plead slightly. Batman never pleads, and with a sudden realization I discover that I am not talking to her as Batman but as Bruce. The man hidden underneath all of.. This._

_"Let me hear your voice." I growl out to her in a more demanding tone, as if that will make her speak. Hoping that perhaps the Bat can force her to listen to me once again._

_She blinks slowly, and turns her face away, thinning her lips. The only movement she has shown within the last five minutes. She is closing me off. I can see it. A stream of images run through my head, of her avoiding me at all costs. Of her never speaking to me again, and I know that I deserve it, yet I cannot bear the thought of completely losing her._

_"No! no! no! Dang it! Why?! Come back to me Diana. Come back to me now!" I practically yell, while shaking her shoulders. Abruptly she shrugs me off of her and pushes me away. Her voice is cold and uncaring but I can't help but feel relieved that she is speaking._

_"Stay. Away. From. Me."_

_With those last words she shoves me away, disappearing into the darkness and leaving me all alone. Despite my shouts of her name she doesnt respond or turn back. For a second time in my life I feel truly__ alone... Just as I should be, yet I can't stop the sudden panick from overwhelming my body. And thats when I know... Know that what I have been denying for these past years is actually true._

_A sharp pain explodes at the tip of my spine and then..._

_there is nothing but black._

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**Wonder Woman's POV:**

The rock begins to shift, pebbles and stones rain down on my face. Whipping my head back around I fling my right arm upward in order to maintain a hold on the ledge, but it is useless. With one final shower of dirt the earth gives way, sending me to also plummet into the unknown darkness below.

I grit my teeth as they rattle from the repeated blows to my jaw and head. Curling my body into a tight ball, I somewhat manage to keep the injuries to a minimum.

Sharp stones plunge into my skin, drawing blood and painting the granite walls slick with red paint. The fall feels never ending, as if I am trapped within a nauseatingly violent illusion. With one final smack of my elbow against a rock; I land with a dull thud. Spitting dirt and dead roots out of my mouth, I push myself to my hands and knees before taking a look around. It is no better down here than it was up above. In fact it is worse. Insects of unknown origins skitter over my fingers, their furry legs caressing my skin. A pair of yellow glowing eyes stare at me hungrily before completely vanishing from sight.

"Bruce?" I call out, squinting in the dark. Nothing. Taking a stand I push my hair out of my face and begin to walk forward within the canyon of darkness.

"Bruce!" I try once more, yet I am only met with a sight hissing sound and the echoeing of my voice. The glow of my lasso assists me with my lack of acute vision, guiding me around deep pits and sharp stones. The atmosphere is hot and stuffy, dust and dirt are the only materials to fill my lungs as I inhale. The stench of mold is overpowering, along with the bitter taste of rotten flesh that settles on my tongue.

How many souls have traveled through this very pathway? Dreading what laid before them, fearing for their life before eventually dying of thirst, exhaustion or madness.

A slight clicking echoes around me faintly, catching my complete attention. I pause and listen. The sound of pebbles rocking violently on the ground reach my ears before the earth rumbles defiantly, cursing my presence and determined to rid itself of its unwanted guest. A loud crack snaps through the air as the looming sides begin to shift ever closer together. This is definitely not good. Not good at all.

I have taken no more than a few steps forward before something solid and warm collides with my back, knocking me to the ground. Jabbing my arm backward in a swift response, I connect with bone. Despite this, the large mass doesn't move and I prepare to strike again.

"Diana!" A fierce low whisper growls next to my ear. Pausing, I twist my head around and find myself staring into the light flickering glow of two lenses.

Batman.

Blood cascades down from his nose, pooling around his mouth and dripping down his chin. Dirt and rubble are embedded deep within the crevices of his cowl. His breaths are heavy and ragged. He does not seem to be himself.

"Bruce! Thank goodness you are alive!" My brows furrow in concern at the sight of blood. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that it was you." I extend my hand towards him in order to fully assess the damage, yet he abruptly jerks away from my presence.

"Don't touch me!" He growls out, barring his red stained teeth at me. What once was blue hued lenses are now a deep shade of dark red. His posture is rigid and unnatural. Examining him closer I take note of him favoring his left foot. Extra blood pools beneath the sole of his black boot, creating small streams of hot liquid, which flow through the dirt.

"Bruce. What's wrong?" I ask dropping my hand back to my side.

"Whats wrong? You really are asking me what's wrong!?" He stalks up to me, limping slightly. "Look around Diana. This is what is wrong. All of this is your fault." He points his finger at me accusingly. "You should have been able to stop Circe. You're Wonder Woman for crying out loud! Yet here I am! Fighting for my life." He ends with a snarl.

I stare at him, a bit shocked at this sudden turn of events. But soon that shock ebbs away, only to be replaced by an unknown fuel of rage.

"Me! You are the one who should have let Kal and I handle that mission alone. At least then you wouldn't be here!"

His mouth twists into a sneer. "As if. The boy scout is vulnerable to what Circe has up her sleeves. He wouldn't have handled the mission well."

"And suddenly you aren't vulnerable? You do remember why I'm doing this? Right!?" I shoot right back at him. "I bet that after all this is set and done you won't even thank me! No. You'll just stalk off to your cave and brood, all alone."

Despite our argument the walls do not stop. They continue to inch ever closer together. Silently creeping up on us until it can squeeze us to our impending doom.

"You know that I could have handled her better. She would be in jail, but no. Now she's out there laughing her pretty little head off!" He snarls at me.

I narrow my eyes at him. "Yes Bruce. I'm sure you could have. Your history in dealing with Catwoman fills me with such confidence." I remark sarcastically. A haze of anger surges through me. How dare he blame me for everything that has happened. True, Circe did do this in order to get back at my Mother. But he had a hand in what happened to him also. He was the stubborn fool who insisted on coming with us.

"Enough! I will not stand here and listen to you berate me on my love life." With that he whips himself around and stalks away. "i dont even know you anymore." He whispers harshly. I watch him walk away, breathing heavily and gritting my teeth in rage. My mind is clouded with such a deep hatred for him. All I see is red. No one dares to walk away from me. Especially him. I take a step forward, preparing to attack him from behind.

Clasping my lasso in order to drag him back, I freeze. Slowly the anger ebbs away, only to be replaced by a certain calmness. The shock jolts through my body as I continue to mentally fight against the intense feelings of violence and hatred. My head aches from the effort and I grip my head tightly. Everything around me warps out of character and swiftly I let go of the lasso before it messes with my head and I am sucked into another world.

The sound of boulders tumbling down around me rush to my ears as I finally snap out of the dense fog filling my mind. I immediately become aware of the situation we are in. The cave walls are closing in and I know for a fact that if we stay here any longer; we will never make it out alive.

"Bruce!" I scream out at him, yet he doesn't listen. I run after him, gripping him by his arm and twisting him around.

"Don't touch me." He snarls, wrenching his arm free. "No matter how hard you try to get my attention Princess, it won't work." His words hit me like a ton of bricks yet I push past it and ignore the slight sting of them.

"Bruce, listen to me we have got to get out of here." I snap at him in return, the feeling of anger slowly returning.

He doesn't listen, instead he glares at me before turning away once more. Huffing out in annoyance I resort to the only other tactic that I can conduct in order to move him.

"You leave me no choice." I whisper to him.

Snaking my hand out around to his front, I grip his chin firmly in my hand and snap his head to the side, thus placing pressure on his spinal cord. I execute this move with just enough force in order to knock him unconscious, rather than break his neck.

His body suddenly falls slack and slumps against me.

Catching him, I stagger backward from his full weight, and grip him about his torso tightly. Gritting my teeth, I clasp his utility belt and heave him upward. Shouldering him, I drape his stomach across my left shoulder and glance around. There are no possible exits. Sheer rock surrounds me on all sides. Glancing upward, I squint at the faint outline of the ledge on my right side. The walls both shudder one last time before charging at each other at an even swifter pace. The only way out... is up.

Thinking quickly, I tug at Bruce's belt, my fingers searching for something in particular. Finally after several agonizingly long seconds my fingers tightly grip around a thick, bulky piece of cool metal before tugging it out of its holster. Swinging my arm upward in a tight arch, I pull the trigger, releasing the grappling hook into the air and towards the ledge. With a clang it hooks itself onto a secure base and sends another wave of debris to skitter across the rough planes of rock.

Relieving the pressure on the trigger, I press another button, causing the line to snap tight and jerk me and Bruce up off the ground.

The walls rush ever closer together, determined to trap us within its tight confines. Determined to not let me win.

My arm burns from the added weight of Bruce and his suit. I can feel my fingers begin to slip from the butt of the gun while Bruce simultaneously begins to jerk off of my shoulder.

"Come on." I say through gritted teeth, tightening my hold on Batman. Finally reaching the top, I throw Bruce over the side and drag myself up after him. A large quake vibrates through the whole interior, sending rock to break off of the ceiling, as the cave roars out in anger.

Crawling over to where Bruce is laying I place two fingers along his neck and check his pulse. Sighing out in relief, I gently slap the side of his check in order to revive him from his unconscious state.

"Come on Bruce, it's time to get up."

His eyes flash wide open in alarm. Lunging out at me, he tries to hit me, his fist aiming at my throat. Blocking his arm with my own, I slam his body back down to the ground and hold him there as he begins to struggle.

"Bruce, it's me." He stops and stares at me before lowering his clenched hand.

The muscles in his body instantly relax, and his breathing becomes less ragged. I rest my head on his armored chest for a moment before pushing myself to all fours. After what's all happened it's time to have a little talk.

"What were you thinking!" I growl out at him, slamming the palm of my hands on either side of his head and glaring into his slightly cracked lens. Garnering no response from him I resort to letting out a frustrated sigh and rising to my feet.

"Bruce I know that you were angry, but to ignore what is happening right in front of you is not like you... Or me for a matter of fact" I stop and sigh.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I continue. "I could have lost you and I would have let it happen if it weren't for this." I whisper, once again fingering my lasso. I am only met with silence. Twisting my head around, I stare at him intently and ask the one question that has been bugging me at the back of my mind.

"What happened down there Bruce?"

He doesn't turn to face me, silence is once again my only answer. I take in a deep breath and try again. "Why did you attack me Bruce?" His head whips around to glare at me.

"What?!" He demands. My brows furrow in slight confusion, then clears with understanding. "You don't remember. Do you?" I say lowly.

He steps closer. "Oh, I remember alright." He replies, clenching his fists. "The thing is, do we both remember the same thing?"

I place my hands on my hips. "I remember you attacking me, and yelling at me." I retort once again feeling slightly peeved at him.

"What else do you recall to memory? What about Kent?" He asks narrowing his eyes at me. I gaze at him in confusion. "Bruce, you and I both know that he's still at the manor." I say softly.

Swiftly he whips himself around, his cape swirling about his ankles, and begins stalking away. Clearly he assumes that I will follow, and he is correct.

"Hallucinations." He states crisply, not once faltering in his stride. "The hissing sound. Did you happen to hear it as well?" I nod my head yes. "Just as I suspected, this cave is playing mind tricks on us now and it's time we get out of here before we both get killed." he replies a bit grimly.

Bruce has always been rough, stubborn and closed off. His personality has never been warm or welcome but right now I can sense that something is off about him. The way he holds himself is not normal. There is an added amount of hunched shoulders and heavier footing that is burdening his posture. Stopping, I grab him by the arm and force him to look at me.

"I'm only going to ask this once and I expect an answer. What happened down there Bruce?"

I can tell that he wants for me to let this go. To leave him be and allow him to figure through whatever went on in his head by himself, but I won't let that happen. Batman is a legend, something to be feared by others and something that is able to take whatever is thrown at him. But Bruce is a man and even a man sometimes needs to relieve partial amounts of his burdens.

I wait and finally... he speaks.

"Clark died Diana, and I wasn't able to help him." He grits his teeth. "He was suffering and all I could do was watch." I release my hold on him and gaze at him with concern and compassion.

"The worst part was losing you in the process." He continues with a hoarse tone before turning away. Reacting to his intended departure, I make a bold move and embrace him in a hug from behind. His body stiffens in surprise before relaxing very slowly. I can feel the tension ebb away from his muscles, as he bends his head forward. He doesn't hug back in return, but he doesn't pull away either.

I take a deep breath and speak lowly into his ear. "Bruce, first of all, you have to know that it wasn't real." I pause and squeeze him tighter. "And secondly, If it were, I know that you tried to do everything in your power to help him. Sometimes we just can't always be the hero... No matter how hard we fight." He doesn't say anything in response, but I know that he understands what I am trying to tell him. He takes a deep breath and unclenches his hands.

"You can let go of me now."

His voice rumbles through his back and vibrates to my body. Sliding my arms off from around his shoulders, I back away slowly. He is still the same rugged Batman, but I can already tell that something is once again different. His head is held up high, with shoulders squared and with his mouth set in a determined line as he gazes at me steadily.

The look I read from his expression mirrors my own.

It's time to end this once and for all.

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**First things first, I've said it before but I'll say it again. You readers are the best! :) I hope that you found this chapter somewhat entertaining. Originally this was suppose to be the last chapter that would sum up the "first challenge" but one parapragh of dialogue and this was born! So you could consider this a bonus chapter. :) I really hope that I'm at least sorta keeping everyone in character. Diana is fierce, passionate and caring with also the hint of an inner turmiol going on in there as is needed for my story. Bruce is well... Bruce. :) A man that holds something for Diana but just doesn't really want to acknowledge it openly soo much. I wasn't trying to work too hard on Clark since he wasn't even really there to begin with but hopefully he wasn't too bad. Anyways I'm just babbling here. It's nice to hear what you think! The next chapter should be up soon. I'm sort of starting to update every month, at least that's my goal! Adios!**


	15. Chapter 15 Mine

**Hello everyone, I'm here with another chapter that hopefully you guys will enjoy. :) Sorry that I haven't updated as quick as I had wanted to. My mind seems to be everywhere at the moment.**

**Thanks go to GirlAtThePiano and Zarola for reviewing. Honestly reviews are what helps to motivate me in updating. So thank you for that. :D **

**Enjoy reading! **

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**Diana's POV**

For hours we have been roaming this cave, moving through many other tiring traps. It would not surprise me to find out that the cave has the ability to modify itself over the years, making it more dangerous than how it had originally been in the past.

The latest trap that we had prevailed through involved swinging logs that had sharp spikes lodged into the ends, while falling rock pelted us from above. Halfway through the deadly course, Bruce was hit along his left shoulder. The force of the blow had succeeded in causing him to falter slightly in pain.

Right at that very moment, I had seen the menacing weapon swinging in for the killing blow. I immediately reacted by shoving him out of the way. Thankfully he wasn't severely injured, and had only gained a few tender bruises, but I didn't go unscathed. The sharp knives had deeply grazed my side, injuring me and shredding my side to pieces. Bruce had desperately tried to stop the bleeding with some bandages from his utility belt, but I could already feel the wet slickness of my blood bleeding through the wraps.

Through the last hour of walking I can feel myself growing light headed and weaker than how I had been before. I am not entirely sure if I can make it much longer, but I still place on a determined front and moved forward. I can't stop now, I have no choice. It is either move onward or let Circe win this little game she is playing. She wants to see me get battered and beaten. It makes her feel powerful and good. She believes that I can be easily destroyed. I have to prove her wrong. I am no weak Amazon.

"Diana look." Bruce rasps lowly from beside me. Snapping my gaze back to what lies ahead of me, I come to an immediate stop, pressing my hand securely to my side.

"We found the exit." I whisper to myself, a hint of relief evident in my tone. Taking a deep breath, I scan the blocked exit, taking in the sight of the two looming statues guarding the doorway.

The door before us is shaped into that of a huge circular stone with two pillars on both sides. Glancing at Bruce, I voice my one immediate concern.

"How are we suppose to open this? I can't knock it down."

He doesn't answer me, instead he strides forward and runs his gloved hands along the thick walls framing the door. Finally, after sweeping aside a blanket of cobwebs and grit, he presses one particular brick of stone. I wait intently for what is going to happen next. Suddenly the whole place begins to shudder violently, but thankfully the walls and ceilings stay securely intact. Slowly the spherical block slides to the side, revealing a gaping entrance that was intentionally hidden behind it.

Squinting my eyes, I gingerly jump through the hole, give out a little sharp gasp in pain as I irritate my wounds further.

"This isn't the exit." I say disappointingly.

"No. its a tomb." Bruce states plainly.

The balcony that we are standing on overlooks a large room. Taking in the appearance and the structure of the area, I realize something.

"It must be the two lovers from the legend. That's whose buried here."

Bruce immediately shoots out his grappling hook and holds out his hand for me. Smiling softly to myself, I gladly take it and hold on to him tightly, as we both swing through the air once again.

His arm wraps around me. Solid and strong. He takes care not to touch any of my wounds, yet holds on to me with a firm and familiar grip.

Landing softly, I reluctantly let go of him, and begin to further inspect the room. He is not close behind. I can feel his penetrating gaze watching my every move, hovering over me, and prepared to assist me at any moment. Ignoring him as best as I can, I focus my attention on some of the many faint inscriptions.

"These pictures tell thier story." I murmur to myself, running my fingers idly over the hieroglyphics.

Turning around, I stretch my lasso outward with my left hand as best as I can.

"Let me." Bruce says, taking it from my grasp and stretching it out further with his good right arm. I shoot him a slightly annoyed look, yet refrain from trying to snatch it back. Honestly, I am thankful for his assistance, even if I didn't particularly ask for it.

The glow from my coiled ropes reveal a statue of a woman and a man kissing, while simultaneously standing on their knees. Scanning the foot of the statue, I read the short phrase out loud.

"Love is brightest in the dark." Biting my lip, I turn to Bruce. "What do you think it means?" He of course doesn't reply, and I take it as a sign of him in deep thought.

"How are we going to find our way out of these tunnels?" I sigh out, mostly talking to myself. Gazing at the statues once more, a sudden thought occurs to me.

"I have a crazy idea..." I say, then pause, rethinking my plan at the last moment. "Never mind its too crazy." I close my eyes, and breath in deeply, trying to correct my vision as it swims with a blurry image of the two figures.

"Diana, what is it?" Bruce suddenly asks.

I shake my head but choose to answer him. Reopening my eyes, I speak.

"I was thinking... The curse says we'll be trapped in here forever, unless we trust in love-"

"Uh-huh." He says in that voice of his. I glare at him, but continue.

"And here it says 'love is brightest in the dark' and has a picture of them kissing."

"Where are you going with this?" I give him a pointed look at his continuos interruptions. I take a deep breath, and look him dead in the eye.

"Well, what if we kissed?" I ask as serious as I ever.

"Princes..."

I blush after registering what has just come out of my mouth. What was I thinking? It had seemed like a good idea at first. It wasn't as if I had suggested it because I wanted to kiss him. Right? Ugh, I must now be losing to much blood from my brain.

"See it was a crazy idea." I mutter, a bit embarrassed. All I am met with is silence. An unnerving, thick silence.

"Us kissing. What was I thinking?" I remark, turning my face away from him.

"You weren't thinking at all. What you suggested is an impossibility, unless of course we were in a dire situation that called for that outcome." He says in that 'Batman' voice of his.

I can't help but feel the surge of anger pulse through me as he says that. Whipping my head around, I wince as the movement cuases my head to throb.

"Oh, well I didn't realize it was such a horrible option. Sorry I suggested it." I snap at him.

Realizing how he must have sounded, he tries to correct himself, but what comes out of his mouth only succeeds in shocking me to the core.

"Not what I meant. If it did come to the choice between kissing you and dying... Well then that's a different story."

Where did that come from? I narrow my eyes dangerously at his white lens covered eyes. After all I had been through for him.

"What I'm saying is, I'd rather kiss you than die. That's a compliment." He rasps matter-of-factly. As if that is suppose to make it all better.

"Well I'm not sure which I'd rather do." I growl at him, clenching my hands as they shake in anger. If I didn't feel as weak as I am, he would be in a whole lot more trouble. I stalk away from him, ignoring the wave of dizziness that washes over me, as I move to quickly.

**Third Person POV**

"What is wrong with me?" He mutters under his breath, thankful that Diana didn't hear that also. When she had suggested such an intimate act, he had surprisingly been alright with it, and that is what terrified him. He couldn't let himself cross that line, or else there would be no way back, no matter how much he tried. All he had succeeded in doing though, was being an idiot. He didn't even know why he had said those things. They had just happened to be the first thing that had slipped out of his mouth. He definitely was in big trouble.

Gritting his teeth in annoyance at himself, he stalks after Diana, determined not to let her leave his sight for one single moment. Concern fills him as he takes in her slightly hunched form. No matter how hard she has tried to hide it, he can plainly see that she is indeed in pain. If only this had been the exit instead of another dead end. Then they would have finally been out of this death trap and towards safety. She was in great need of medical attention, and he was afraid to think of what could happen if she didn't receive it in time.

**Diana's POV**

Another hour or so has passed and we still have not found our way out. It seems as though we never will. The argument in the cave between me in Bruce is behind us... For the moment at least.

I am beginning to feel even weaker, my steps are becoming heavier and slower.

As if things couldn't get any worse, my lasso has begun to grow dimmer.

The reason is truly unknown and it confuses me as to why it would do such a thing. Perhaps it is linked to my deteriorating health and strength? Bruce's lenses are also no longer working, which leaves us in an unwanted predicament.

"We're going to run out of light any second now aren't we?" It is said as more of a grim statement rather than an actual question.

"Yes." He rasps out.

"Then what are we going to do?" I ask. My voice is soft and low. So unlike how it had been at the beginning of this journey. Still, I refuse to believe that this can be the end.

He stops and looks at me. "What can we do?"

Bruce's answer forces me to think about our situation realistically and I can't help but agree with him.

I stop and so does he after he realizes that I'm no longer moving forward. Pursing my lips, I lock my eyes with him and gaze deeply into his lenses.

It pains me to know that, I myself have acknowledged the deep feelings stirring within my very being, yet he himself refuses to do so. I know that he _must_ feel something. There have been times that he has slipped. Where the masks have crumbled away. I have witnessed the true face of Bruce, but he chooses to try and bury it away from me, every time I catch a glimpse of it.

Slowly the cave grows dimmer and I find myself leaning in closer. I close my eyes... then there is nothing between us but darkness.

* * *

Opening my eyes, I take in the sight of a soft green glow basking Bruce from above. Jerking my head upward, I smile at the sight of the most beautiful sight I have seen Since entering the cave.

Bruce diverts his attention to the ceiling, but his expression reveals nothing.

"They're made from some kind of crystals. They must only light up in the dark. That's how the two lovers found each other. They just put out their lights and followed the crystals."

I marvel at the very genius of thier system. No one trapped within this cave would care to think that allowing for the darkness to take over would be the answer.

"That must be the way out." Bruce says, heading in the direction of the crystal trail And not making eye contact with me.

I watch him as he begins to walk down the pathway. Shoulders stiff, hands loosely clenched at the sides. The feeling of disappointment runs through my very being.

"Lets go." I say softly. A pain stabs me from the top of my shoulder to my hip as I begin to walk, yet that doesn't hurt as much as the pain that is piercing my heart.

* * *

Stepping out into the sunlight lifts my spirits. Finally. We have prevailed and conquered. Rest assured not without marks or bruises but alive nonetheless.

The warmth of the sun beats down on my head, but I don't mind. Anything is better then that death trap. The feeling of fear, uncertainty and confusion that it produces within a person is terrifying.

"Congratulations. You have succeeded in this mission." A familiar voice floats to my ears. "The first to do so in a millennia." She smiles softly at us yet I don't prevent myself from glaring at her openly. "Where is she?"

Her eyes travel down the side of my body, taking in the trail of blood gliding down my side and across my leg. She quirks a brow, perhaps a bit surprised to see me still standing on my feet, let alone talking.

"Who?" She asks off handedly.

"Circe." She lifts her eyes to mine and cocks her head to the side delicately. "She's no longer here, she has taken her leave of absence and has returned back to your world, but she left me these in order to reward you for you're success, although she was a bit disappointed in the results." Of course Circe would, she had lost this round.

The nameless maiden raises a cloaked hand and reveals two gold medallions. Both have the face a tiger etched unto the surface.

After a closer look, I can see the blue and green colored gems embedded in the gold, as they sparkle menacingly in the sunlight. Each represent the tigers eyes perfectly.

Stretching my arm outward, I take them. They are cool and lightweight, yet sturdy enough to handle any type of rough treatment.

"With these, each tiger that wears his own, will have the ability to become human for a limited time of six hours a day. With each challenge completed, six more hours will be added to the previous time until it reaches a total of twenty-four. Then, and only then will the tigers become fully human again. At least that is what I have been told."

I clutch them tighter within my grip and look back up at her. "How will we get home?"

She gives me a timid smile before placing a small box on the ground and stepping away.

Several seconds go by before the familiar blue portal appears before us.

Gingerly I place Kal's medallion around my neck, before handing Bruce his own. Nodding at each other we step into the portal and prepare for the onslaught of expected pain.

The pain though has changed. It has notably become stronger. It is as if a thousand knifes are piercing my skin simultaneously. The blades violently twist within my flesh. My side burns, as if though it were on fire. My head throbs horribly and I clutch it tightly in order to keep it from exploding.

Finally it stops but something else fills my body. It is a new kind of pain. Stronger, and more intense.

Then I pass out.

* * *

**Bruce's POV**

The light intensifies then dims to a natural hue. Suddenly an onslaught of pain explodes throughout my body. It is a familiar pain and I immediately realize what is happening. Fingers turn into claws, skin into fur. Teeth shift and sharpen. My eyesight enhances and familiar smells fill my nostrils.

Blinking rapidly, I stand on all fours and take in my surroundings.

_Manor. Alfred. Diana. Potential threat. _

Swinging my head around, the sight of Diana on the floor, Clark nudging her lightly and Alfred checking her pulse, greets me.

Blood pools around her musclier frame, soaking the carpet and staining Alfred's hands. His eyes locks with mine and I can smell the concern wash off of him in waves.

My heartbeat quickens and I stride towards her.

Unexpectedly Clark whirls on me, blocking me from coming any closer. He doesn't growl, nor does he attack, but his eyes say it all.

_**Stay away from her. **_

I can't help but growl lowly in my throat as a warning. _She is **my** Princess, and I need to make sure that she is alright._ Still he does not move out of the way.

**_How could you let this happen? Why weren't there to protect her?_ **He asks, lowering his head and making himself look all the bigger and intimidating.

_I did. I would give my life in order to keep her safe._

_**Obviously not since your still here.**_He remarks coolly. There is no harshness in the Boy Scouts tone. None whatsoever, but that does not mean he isn't angry with me.

I glare icily at him and prepare to lunge out at him in order to _make_ him move, but a sharp voice causes me to freeze immediately.

"Master Bruce, Mister Kent, that is enough! Now is no time to argue. We must give Miss. Diana the medical attention she so sorely needs, but first I need to find a way to carry her to her quarters. You two can quarrel another day."

Alfred's wise old eyes bore into my own and I know that now is no time to get into a tussle. I lower my head in acknowledgement and turn back to Diana, an idea popping into my head.

_Perhaps if I... _I stop short at the sight of Clark having somehow managed to sling Diana across the length of his back in order to carry her. Her head rests gently along his head, her arms draping over his shoulders and dangling by his front legs. Blood smears his once pristine white coat, but he doesn't care. All he cares about is her and it is evident in the way he walks slowly, careful not to drop her.

Alfred watches on in amazement before rushing down to the cave to get medical supplies.

I watch on silently, as he takes her away. My ears drawn back, as my claws embed themselves deeply into the carpet. I growl lowly in my throat. Animalistic instincts begin to surge through my head and only one thought pops into my head. _Mine._

* * *

**Alrighty then, what do you guys think? Was it alright? Man, I feel as if I'm posting the first chapter again. If there is any weird words within this chapter that doesnt fit, it's because my spell checker is going crazy and changing my wording. So sorry about that, I tried to fix what I could find.**

**I know that most of you guys liked the ATLA reference that I did for this challenge, and I'm pretty sure you picked up on some of it again here. So did I do alright incorporating it together? That part in the tomb I wasn't so sure on how to mix a Bruce/Diana scene without changing a lot of the dialogue. Let me know what you think, I love hearing from you guys as always. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hola! Oh man you guys are so wonderful! Thanks GirlAtThePiano, Ni Castle, twostar, SakuraPheonix13, Grace Topaz14, Dragonball X Avalon, and Guest For the reviews. It's great hearing from y'all. :D I know it seems to take forever for updating but believe me you guys Ill try and keep up daily updates. There's just been lots of different stuff going on that needs my attention also. Your guys's support and reviews are deeply appreciative and so are all the favorites. :D I hope you enjoy this chapter. It was made more to help create the foundation for more complications that shall soon arise. ;) **

* * *

**Superman's POV**

The sound of steady beeping fills my ears, but what comforts me the most is the sound of her steady breathing. I never take my eyes off of her resting form, for it is the only way that I will know that she is safe. Safe with me here, protecting her, warding off any evil that may try to harm her. I have stuck to her side since the very moment Alfred had left the room. He insisted that I should follow him in order to clean-up, since the blood had quickly dried on my thick coat, but I had resisted. Surely enough he did not back down and made a compromise by opting to wipe me down with a warm washcloth instead. I didn't mind. As long as I was with her, nothing else mattered.

Alfred had done good work. How could he not, when he had a charge that would come home every morning, battered and bruised. He was familiar with tending to wounds of these sorts.

Shifting my body, I curl closer to her form, basking in the heat radiating off of her body. Thoughts and questions swirl through my head, but my main priority is keeping her safe.

I rest my head gently atop her stomach, waiting, and watching. Her face is peaceful and relaxed. A great contrast to the painful grimace and slight moaning sounds that had escaped from her lips the moment I had laid her down.

I can still remember the feeling of cold fear that had grabbed ahold of my body as I witnessed her body slumping to the ground. The sweet aroma of her blood reaching my nostrils still haunts me. It is something I never wish to see or feel again. If it means that I would have keep Bruce away, then so be it. I know that the action would potentially hurt her. I can sense that she is fond of both her tigers, but I know in my heart that I will try and protect her at all costs. Despite my bridled anger for Bruce, I shall not resort to such measures yet. It is only a precaution, a promise, and a mission that I have assigned to myself in order to keep her safe.

He is my friend, my colleague, and sometimes I feel as if he is a brother. I know and sense this, but I can't help the animalistic feelings that reside within me when he is near. The feeling of him being a threat, an enemy. I can feel his eyes on her. Watching her as I do, guarding her within the confinement of his shadows. He is dark, mysterious, elusive, strong, and brave. He draws her to him. I can feel it, and I've seen it with my own eyes. I do not particularly like it all, yet I try to dismiss these unusual feelings. Besides, does she not have her eyes set on another?

I will not openly attack. At least not as long as the animal within me has not overruled my sense of morals. I will give him warnings, allow for him to see that I am serious in all that I do and hope to achieve. I will not allow for him to overrule me, to dominate me in this seemingly never ending battle of wills between us. Each of us wishes to surpass the other. To prove ourselves to be the worthy one of the two species. It is mainly because of her. If I am to be honest with myself, it has always been about her, one way or the other. She has the potential to bring out the best in us, and even the worst. These feelings are foreign. Something that I have never really felt before, but during my time here, they have begin to evolve and grow. I can only hope that one day I will fully understand them and their meaning.

Nuzzling my nose against her side, I deeply breath in her scent, storing it into memory. Never again will she venture into the unknown without me by her side. I can only imagine the horrors that she had to face during her seemingly long absence. To say in the least, I had panicked. That day that I had desperately tried to find her and couldn't, a feeling of urgency had filled my gut. I could no longer pick up her scent, and to top it all off _he_ hadn't been here either. That only meant one thing. They both had disappeared without a trace, lost into a time unknown to this world. Alfred of course tried his best to soothe my frayed nerves. Yet, despite his best efforts, I refused to relent in expressing my internal aggravation. I had spent those four days pacing back and forth within the Living Room, eagerly awaiting their return. What had bothered me above all was the fact that I wasn't there with her. I should have been. Perhaps then she wouldn't have been injured so badly.

Suddenly the feeling of cool fingers brushing against my fur alerts me to the fact that she has now awoken.

"Kal..." She breathes out softly, while giving me a small lazy grin. Her gaze travels across the room, searching with a hopeful glint in them. I immediately know for whom that she is searching for. Bruce. I cant help the slight feeling of annoyance that fills my inner being at this discovery. Disappointment flickers across her features as she finds the rest of the room to be empty.

Shaking my head, I take a stand and crawl closer to her pillow, drawing her attention back to me. Resting my paws beside her head, I lower my own and gaze into her bright, blue eyes. She smiles at me in return and answers the one question buzzing within my mind.

"I'm alright Kal. Stop worrying." She says a bit hoarsely. No doubt her throat is parched.

I growl lowly in my throat in protest. She chuckles."Of course you wont stop, because that is who you are. Even as a tiger you place others before yourself." I nudge my nose against her cheek in agreement. She closes her eyes and rubs the top of my ears gently. Enjoying her touch, I press my head against the palm of her hand harder in an attempt to get closer.

* * *

**Diana's POV.**

I can feel the energy seeping back into my body. I can feel myself once more growing whole and alive again. I can tell that I had scared Kal. Once I had looked him in the eyes, I could immediately identify the feelings of worry and concern within them. Despite my repeated assurances, he would not leave my side for more than a minute. So stubborn was he about his decision that I have accidentally tripped over him on the way out of the bathroom.

"Kal, your going to have to stop one way or another. You can't be trailing me around everywhere." I tell him after sitting on the edge of the bed. He just blinks at me innocently, before settling himself at my feet. I release a tired sigh before glancing around the room. My eyes land on the night stand and I freeze, taking in the sight of the forgotten medallion.

Standing to my feet once more, I take it in my hands and run my thumb over the smooth surface. What the maiden had told me before giving them to me returns to memory.

"Kal..." I murmur. Kneeling down on the ground, I gaze at him steadily. "After we had finished our challenge, Circe left these as rewards. They allow for you to be a human for a limited time." He narrows his eyes at it suspiciously before nudging it with his nose. Lifting the medallion, I drape it over his neck carefully. It lands against his chest with a soft thump.

Not long after, a bright light envelopes his entire body. It shines brighter and brighter before dying down to a natural hue. Blinking rapidly, my vision once more returns to normal and there before me crouches a man. A very familiar man. His shoulders are hunched forward while his long, strong fingers grip the carpet loosely. Lifting his head, my eyes lock with that of intense blue.

"Kal!" I cry out happily. Strong arms immediately wrap around me, warm and secure. He breathes in deeply, and squeezes me tighter, holding me closer.

"How long?" He asks softly against my hair. "Six hours." I reply. It is not a long enough amount of time, but it'll have to do. He releases a heavy sigh.

"J'onn was filled in while you were recuperating. He says that people are beginning to suspect the worst of things concerning our departure. We've been gone too long Di, especially since it was such a sudden disappearance. I better make an appearance while I have the chance. In order to put their minds at rest." Kal says a bit reluctantly.

I nod my head in consent. Slowly we break apart and I smile up at him warmly, glad to see one of my dearest friends back to normal for the time being. _I wonder if Bruce is human now, or a tiger?_ I think to myself while turning away. His eyes darken somewhat after I release him.

"I'm sorry." He says, laying a hand on my shoulder. I jerk my head to him. "For what?" I ask a bit confusingly. He purses his lips. "For Bruce." My shoulders involuntarily stiffen. He hasn't come by to see how I have been doing. From what Alfred has told me, Bruce has locked himself away in that cave of his, doing who knew what. I suspected that he was using his six hours being human in order to patrol Gotham whenever he could.

I float upwards. "It's not your fault Kal. He's just... Bruce." I finish with a wan smile. He grimaces at me knowingly, but there is something there. A sort of anger, and I know that Kal is non too pleased with Bruce at the moment. I begin walking to the balcony doors. Pausing, I turn my head to him.

"Tell the girls that I say hello." He nods in agreement, picking up on my need to be alone and then leaves. The flutter of the curtains is the only physical evidence that he was here at all in the first place. Turning back to the doors, I pull them wide open and step outside.

The breeze weaves its nimble fingers through my hair, lightly tugging and pulling it in different directions. The night air is cool and crisp. The darkness of the sky pregnant with that of clear crystal stars that twinkle happily within the safety of their womb. Calm, and soothing. Something that I have missed dearly in having.

Closing my eyes, lulled by the night time music of chirping crickets and hooting owls, I take a deep, relaxing breath. Once my heart beat slows, I am seemingly transferred back into time... back to that very night where things between Bruce and I had started to become complicated.

**Flashback:**

The acid taste of murky water and polluted oxygen fills my mouth. It is dark, dank and musky. The walls and ceiling are filmed with layer upon layer of mold, dirt and other unknown substances. It is so cramped that I am forced to practically crawl through the ever popular sewers of Gotham City.

This is my first time ever in Gotham... with permission at least. Batman has allowed for me to come along, of course only after much persuasion on my part. It seems as though that the Batmobile is a great asset to his collection. Therefore making it unbearable to him if it 'accidentally' became a wad of crumbled steel. I can't help but smirk at his reaction to that. Priceless. To bad Wally wasn't there to see it.

Stealthily I follow the dark, flitting shadow before me. Even in the never ending darkness, I manage to somewhat gleam. This of course forces me to pursue him from farther behind, as not to give away his position.

The only sound for miles around is the slight sound of splashing as my feet wade deeper into the green tinted waters surrounding me. Suddenly Bruce stops and so do I. Everything becomes eerily quite. Straining my ears I manage to catch the subtle sound of something wading on the water. I grip my lasso tightly, anticipating anything and everything.

A blood curdling roar erupts out of nowhere. A loud splash followed by a slight grunt alerts me to the fact that Bruce is now struggling with the monster... Killer Croc.

I whip my head around and peer through the never ending darkness. I catch the sight of Bruce fighting to maintain a hold on the crocodile-like man in order to keep himself from being shredded to pieces.

Launching myself forward, I grip tightly unto the animal's scaly tail and fling the him up off of Bruce. The creature releases a snarl of annoyance as it slams into the opposite concrete wall, breaking away large chunks that fall into the shallow pools below. A flash of pearl white teeth gleam in the dark, directed right at me. I raise my bracelets just in time as he violently gnaws on them both like chew toys. Swiftly I release a counter attack and punch in an upward motion with that of my right hand, slamming it deftly into his jaw. His teeth immediately slackens its hold on me due to the shocking pain it has felt and proceeds to stumble backwards.

Bruce takes this opportunity to barrel into him from the side and toss him farther back into the confines of the tunnel. Letting loose two identical batarangs, they succeed in harmlessly exploding against the beast's thick skin. Having brought the fight into a wider berth, I fly forward, gripping him about the torso and holding on tightly. He puts up a fierce struggle, his claws digging into my flesh and drawing blood. Abruptly I stop and instead proceed to slam him into the ground, creating a large splash of water. I punch against his body repeatedly in order to keep him down. He responds to my attack with one of his own by extending one of his slimy claw-like hands in order to grip my fist. Chuckling, he squeezes tighter and slings me across the area and through a wall. Bruce rushes to my side as I begin to regain my footing and concentration.

"Are you alright?" He growls out fiercely yet his tone is one of slight concern. I nod my head "yes" in answer before swiftly popping my shoulder back into place.

"Good, because right now you are not-" Whatever he was going to say is lost in the air as he is cut off short by a green blur that slams him against another wall. I watch in horror as the monster sinks his deadly teeth into Bruce's shoulder and tears a chunk is skin off. Bruce slumps to the ground with a slight moan. Blood and pieces of skin tissue lathers his suit and drips down to the floor. The green animal turns to face me, his red tinted eyes glittering dangerously at me.

"Now it is your turn. I'm sure you'll taste even better." He rumbles out darkly. Then he charges at me and I do the same. Gripping his snout, I roughly yank it downwards and slam it against my knee. Simultaneously I grip him about the arm and throw him to the ground before landing on him heavily and digging my elbow into his gut. Quickly he jerks upward and ensnares my upper arm in the confinement of his jaws. I cry out in surprise at the intensity of pain as bone collides with bone. Bringing my right hand around I jab him in the eyes. He roars in annoyance, and no doubt pain, causing him to loosen his hold on me. Wrenching myself away from him, I feel the wet, sticky, hotness of blood as it trails down the length of my arm and into the infested water. He licks his chops hungrily, slathering my blood along the plane of his tongue, as he gazes steadily at me. His look is of pure blood lust and hunger. He is a predator who has honed in on his prey and doesn't want to let go.

"Yummy." He rumbles low in his throat. Whipping around, he slams his tail against my head with great force and throws me off balance. Rolling into the position of a ball, I skitter across the water before stopping and trying to rise to all fours while spitting out some blood. His claws wag rip my hair firmly while also digging into my scalp.

"You don't-" He slams me face first into the brick floor of the sewer. He pulls my head back up from being under water and repeats the action again. "Want to mess-" he hisses out before dunking me back under, my face leaving an imprint as it collides with stone. "With the Croc." He roars.

Then his presence is no longer. I can vaguely hear him fighting with someone else behind me. I lean against the wall as my head begins to strangely swim. Pain explodes within my side and I can feel myself growing fainter from the blood loss.

"Diana...!? Diana...!?" The voice is seemingly so far away, that it takes me a moment to recognize it.

"Bruce...?" I mumble out loud, trying to pry my eyes open without having blood pooling into them.

"Diana stay with me!" He demands with a harsh growl. His arm shifts and I know that he is trying to use his communicator, but he has no such luck. The connection doesn't reach underground. He snarls in frustration before becoming completely immobile. _J'onn_. He's talking with J'onn.

Suddenly I begin to feel sleepy. Bruce notices and snaps his fingers in front of my nose to try and keep me awake. "No sleeping Princess, you have to stay with me." He mutters under his breath.

**End of Flashback:**

The rest is a hazy blur for me. I can only remember snippets of what had happened afterward. Such as him grabbing a hold of me and carrying me back through the tunnels of the underground sewer. My breathing becoming shallow and more restricted. The feeling of coldness seeping into my body. The sudden exhaustion that overwhelmed me. Yet what I remember most of all is the feeling of his body heat, his touch, and his voice.

Later I became aware that Killer Croc had been prepared for me. Beforehand a certain poison had been lathered on his talons that had the ability to only affect Metas, hence the reason Bruce only ended up with a shredded shoulder and nothing more. Apparently once the poison had entered my blood stream, it had quickly started to weaken my immune system. This meant that little by little my body was shutting down.

Everyone had waited anxiously for me to fight back. To overcome the toxin within a few hours, but I hadn't. Instead it looked as though I was only growing weaker. The rest of the League were beginning to fear the worse... especially a certain dark vigilante.

A day after I had been placed in the Med Bay the news channel became abuzz with a sudden and shocking development. Killer Croc had been found dumped in front of a hospital, beaten and bruised very badly. He had suffered multiple broken bones, but luckily he had survived. He wasn't going to be terrorizing the city any time soon though.

They, the founders, had all known who had done that to him.

Finally after a day or so I began to pull through. If it hadn't been for my healing factor I would have most likely not have made it. This was my first time ever being so close to death, and Bruce did not react well at all. After that our relationship began to take a turn.

Bruce and I never spoke of that night or Killer Croc again. Anytime I had to tried to bring it up, his attitude would turn cold and dismissive rather quickly. That time I had let it slide, but I won't let that happen now. I have to talk to him or else I will be left to wonder. Wonder if things could have turned out differently.

* * *

I slowly descend the stairs, one step at a time. I could have easily floated down, but I figure that there is no harm in taking my time.

The bright, yellow glow of the large screen is what first greets me as I stride forward from the foot of the stairs. My eyes instantly lock unto that of a muscular figure clad in black. I know that he is most likely going to try and lock me out, ignore me or dismiss me as he usually does. So this time I'm not going to let him. This time I'm going to go about it differently and somewhat reverse our roles.

"What is it Princess?" He immediately asks me. _Straight to the point I see._ He can tell that I'm only down here to speak with him on a touchy subject and he wants it to be done and over with quickly. _Typical Bruce_. I keep quite and instead inch closer toward him and the computer.

"I have lots of work to do, so I would prefer that you say what you need and leave me be." He says, trying to convey his impatience. I still do not speak, but instead proceed to lean a hip casually against the counter. His key strokes falter for just a moment before they resume their steady rhythm once more.

"Funny, I didn't take you for being the silent type." He retorts flatly. He inclines his head slightly in my direction in silent question. I just offer him a simple shrug.

Setting the palms of my hands against the cool metal surface, I lift myself up, and opt for sitting on the counter, instead of just standing. Settling myself comfortably on the edge, my hair flows to the front of my face as I lean forward and examine the cave. This isn't the first time I have seen it, but it never ceases to amaze me. There is a certain beauty that lies hidden within the dark crevices of the cave walls. Something that many would call eerie and creepy but I would call... alluring and captivating. This place suits the Batman just fine.

Suddenly I notice a shift in the atmosphere. Frowning, I try to figure out what has disturbed my train of thought. Concentrating on my surroundings, realization dawns on me as I come to the conclusion that there is only silence. The sharp sound of keystrokes has momentarily ended. A rarity when it comes to the Batman. Casting a glance to my left, I find myself gazing straight into Bruce's cowled face, his own white lenses already staring at me intensely. Blushing, I look away.

"You want to talk about the..." He pauses, eyes flickering toward the stairwell. "About what happened." He finishes. I nod my head slowly, yet surely, letting him take the lead in the conversation less he begins to shut me out. If he does, then this talk will never take place.

"Diana..." He starts saying. The frustration and aggravation is heard clearly within his tone. I should know better by now. No matter how I try to approach this, he wont want to cooperate willingly.

Masking the disappointment I am feeling, I quickly slide down off of the counter and walk up to him. Pressing a finger to his lips, I stop him from saying anything more.

"No Bruce. I already know what you are going to say. I'm sorry that I tried to bring this up. I'll just leave now before you kick me out, and you can finish whatever you are working on." I move to maneuver around him, not looking him in the eye as I begin to walk away.

"No." He replies gruffly, gripping me around my forearm tightly and making me pause. "I... I want to talk about it." My eyes snap to his confusingly. This is a side of Bruce I have not yet come to see as often as I would like. We stare at each other for a moment.

"Sit." He says finally, tilting his chin to where I had been resting a couple of seconds earlier. "Please." He adds, releasing his hold on me and pulling back his cowl.

Searching his eyes earnestly, I find them to be more open and less closed off. Nodding my head, I comply willingly.

* * *

**So here it is you guys. I have dwelled deeper into the BMWWness of this story. But as most of you know or strongly guess, this isn't all. :) Not much action here but I'm trying to get this to move along as quick as I can without making the story seem 'choppy' as I would call it. More scenes to Review let me know whatcha think! **


	17. Chapter 17 ?

**Hello everyone! :) Here is chapter 17. Due to a request to having the last chapter longer, I've decided try and lengthen this one up as much as I could with the impending holiday. Speaking of Christmas, I have an announcement for you. **

**I, Tigress2929 has successfully updated all my open stories on fanfiction. So, Merry Christmas everybody! I have never done this before and man did it take some work, but it was worth it. I've also added a chapter to a story that I hadn't really thought that I'd ever add on to this year. Yup, a Childish Game has a little bonus chapter to it. Hope you all enjoy! **

**First things first, Thank You twostar, Ni Castle, littlemsstrawberry, GirlAtThePiano, 1Superman4Me, sling shot, and Have a Nice Dream for reviewing. I _really_ and always shall, appreciate it guys. **

* * *

**Bruce's P.O.V**

* * *

I silently watch her within the dark shadows of the hallway as she lounges at the table, reading the New York Times. Her hair is tucked behind her right ear, her eyes intently glued to the paper before her. Like always she is garbed in her famous Wonder Woman attire. The light streaming through the large windows reflects off of the golden plating and silver bracelets on her armor, making her seemingly glow all the more. Every second or so, she allows for herself to pause in her reading, just so that she may take a bite of her freshly toasted bagel, which is smeared with a strawberry, cream cheese spread.

I lean my shoulder against the wall and contemplate over what I should do. Pulling off my cowl I run a steady hand through my hair.

_What will I say to her? How will she react?_

Last night had not been a pretty preview. Although our conversation had started out fairly well, with me willing to talk, it had taken a turn for the worse. Yet one would have to wonder if this could still have a nice ending?

_That's not the big question though. The question is whether or not, I have made up my mind in taking a chance. In risking the possibility of becoming happy and settling down with the woman of my dreams._

I pause at the idea of that being true.

_Woman of my dreams?_

I shake my head in an attempt to end the whirling thoughts running through my head, but still my mind does not quite.

_Yes, the woman of my dreams._

I let out a sigh of defeat.

_It's time that you stop running Bruce. No matter how much you try and deny it, these feeling will always be here. Just remember how unhappy you were to hear that Diana was dating Tom Tresser, or how angry you became when Clark... Oh yes, especially with Clark. But I've already admitted it to myself in the cave, haven't I? All I need to do now is... embrace it._

Closing my eyes and leaning my head against the wall, I think back to the evening before.

* * *

**Flashback - Bruce's P.O.V**

* * *

She looks at me with some uncertainty, but I can tell that she is more than willing to take me up on my offer. Slowly she sits and waits for me to speak. Twisting my chair around, I look up at her full in the face.

"Diana, I need you to know that whatever went on down in that cave cannot be brought up again. What happened, happened and there's nothing I can do to change that, but here and now... I need you to know that nothing can happen between us. Even if I did want to be with you I can't."

She opens her mouth to speak, but I raise my hand in a sign of silence and she allows for me to continue.

"You and I have had _some_ past history. Granted, I ended it before it could start, but it is still there. When we were in that other universe, I could sense some emotions reemerging. The thing is, I can't afford to lose you. Whether it be by my doing, or someone else's. If I had kissed you, and then spurned you in the end, I would have lost you. Down in that deep cavern, when I had hallucinated, loosing you was the worst thing that had happened."

"Bruce, if you just would stop trying to push me away then you wouldn't have to live with fear of losing me."

"No Diana, _we_ can never work and your the only one who can't see that. I can, and I'm only trying to protect you from getting hurt."

"Why won't you even try and let me in Bruce?"

"I have my reasons, if my enemies knew I had anyone special they wouldn't rest until they had gotten to me through her."

She raises a brow at me. "You know me Bruce, I can handle a lot more than what you think. How is it that this rule you keep restating, somehow pertains only to me but to no one else? What is so wrong with opening up Bruce?"

"I can't, no matter how much I want to, I just don't have the ability within me to do so. You've said it before, I am a troubled man, someone who is broken within."

"Yes Bruce. I cannot argue with you there, but there are times when broken things can get fixed."

"I can't be fixed!" I roar out. Why can't she understand this? Why won't she see what lies right in front of her? I had suspected that this is what she had come down here for. To talk about this with me, and my original intention was to snuff out whatever was brewing between us once again. Yet this conversation is taking a turn for the worse, I can feel it.

"I refuse to believe that." She throws back at me. Her eyes are hard and determined. "You have the resolve within you to do the impossible, to do what no other man can or will do, but here you are telling me that this is something you will now bow down to in submission? No Bruce. Night in and night out, you fight thugs who can overpower you easily, stare down the mightiest villains in history, leap off of towers and skyscraper but you can't do this? You need to take that jump Bruce." She extends a hand.. Her expression softens. "And I'm willing to take that leap with you, because deep down I know that we need each other."

I grit my teeth and look away. Emotions wildly surge through me. "Dang it Diana! You don't know how hard this is for me. It tears me to pieces to... to..." I'm gripping my arm rest tightly now, but I don't finish what I am about to say. I can't tell her, she may know, but I can't confirm it with words from my own mouth.

Finally, after a few seconds I look at her and extend my hand outward. Wrapping my fingers around hers, I lower her hand to her lap and draw back my own.

"We're done." I say roughly.

She becomes angry. "Why do I even need you? Why do _I_ even try, if I already know that you wont in return? Huh? All this time you have pushed me aside. Discarded me. Treated me as if I had no feelings whatsoever. As if your actions in this matter wouldn't affect me in the slightest. It is as if though I am nothing to you but another Meta." She purses her mouth and crosses her arms over her chest.

"It took me some time to process what you had wanted, what you had asked me to do in the beginning, but I eventually came around to accepting it. Not because I wanted to give up in being with you, but because I respected you. I respected your self imposed mission, your life's work, your ambition. I respected what you were trying to do and I respected you enough to realize that, _that_, was what you truly wanted and I _did_ try to move on. To bury those lingering feelings, to remain somewhat empty within, but I now know that I have failed in that department." She closes her eyes for a moment and breathes in deeply.

"Bruce you have taken so much from me, I don't know what else there is to give you." She steps closer with a look of defeat on her face.

"You know what happened with Tom don't you?" I set my jaw but don't respond.

_"Don't you?"_ She repeats with more urgency and anger in her tone. Finally, I allow myself to nod in conformation. She closes her eyes briefly, and backs away while shaking her head in disbelief.

"You know that I have already been hurt, and your only succeeding in hurting me more. You say your trying to protect me, well I don't see it that way." Clenching her fists, she stares at me dead in the eye.

"What is it that you want _now_ Bruce? Huh? Because frankly, I can't tell anymore. You have this uncanny ability to do the inevitable. You either push me away or pull me close... throw me out or hold me tight... let me in or lock me out. You have to choose what you really want to do. You _cannot_ do both, because after so much tugging the rope is eventually going to snap Bruce, and then you won't be able to put those frayed ends back together again." She is now quite, waiting for me to speak, but unsurprisingly for her, I don't. Heaving out a sigh she turns her back to me and begins to walk away.

No... no! This is all wrong. I had been willing to talk in the beginning, but this is not where I had expected for it to end up. No matter what, I can't lose her like this. I will not allow for myself to let this rope to snap, because if I do... all will be lost.

"Diana!" I call out the very same moment that she has just approached the foot of the stairs. She stops and tilts her head to the side to show that she is at the moment listening to what I have to say.

"Stay." I clench my left fist. "Please...?" This is the second time this night that I have asked her to do something, but I do it with good cause.

With Superman's return to the Watchtower, it would make perfect sense for her to now reside within her usual quarters located up there, thus allowing for her to leave the manor. What I am asking her to do now could help my cause in saving the relationship that I do have with her or just further ruin it.

She rubs her forehead tiredly before answering.

"Bruce... I... I just can't. Not now, you can't _do_ this to me now." She hovers off the ground and glides her way back up the stairs before slipping through the grandfather clock exit without another word.

I glance back at the computer screen, but I can't concentrate. After five minutes of glaring at the scattering mess of video footage and newspaper articles, I finally just pull my cowl off and toss it on the keyboard with a snarl. She's right. it's time that I stop pulling her strings and just tell her the truth, but can I find it within myself to do so?

* * *

**End of Flashback**

* * *

I had spent all of last night tossing and turning in my bed. I couldn't sleep, couldn't stop thinking about her and most of all I couldn't stop the aching feeling of hurt from pounding in tune with my heart. I began missing the sound of her breathing, the low murmurs that would escape from her mouth in her sedated state, but above all I missed feeling her presence within the room.

I'm not going to lie, the knowledge that Clark was with her set me on edge... it was only him and her. That Boy Scout always could do the right thing. Rarely did he ever get on Diana's bad side and even if he did, she would eventually forgive him with ease.

Snapping my eyes open, I look down at the medallion resting on my chest. Fingering it, I once again mull over what I must do.

Different scenes run through my mind. They are of her smiling at a group of small children, her determination and bravery shown in battle, her dedication and loyalty to her team members and fellow friends, her smell, her touch, her personality. It all comes rushing back to me full force and I finally reach a conclusion. Before her, there was nothing, but now if I were to lose her I wouldn't be able to fathom how life would be.

Straightening my shoulders, and placing my cowl back on, I step out of the darkness and enter the ring of light surrounding her. I glance down at Clark resting at her feet, dozing in the warmth of the sun's rays. She doesn't acknowledge my presence and instead continues with her routine of reading and eating.

"Diana." She raises her eyes to mine, but quickly lowers them back to her page.

"Bruce." She says in reply. I can feel Kent's suspicious eyes boring into my face, but I choose to ignore him.

"Diana, we need to talk." She takes another bite of her bagel and raises a delicate brow in question. Still she does not look back up at me again.

"Talk? Talk about what? I think that most of the important talking was done last night." She folds her paper and sets it in the table gently.

"The thing that I don't understand is, why did you asked me to stay there last night, because clearly what you said still stands. Unless you'd like to add something more to it?" Her eyes narrow at me and I can only nod my head.

"Yes in fact I do, but I'd prefer to talk to you alone and without an audience." I comment, gesturing to Kent who is intently listening in on our verbal exchange as it commences. Reaching down, she rubs Clark's head affectionately before taking a stand.

"Alright, lead the way Batman."

I reach forward and take her hand in my own. She stiffens in surprise, but I do not allow her time to question this action for I immediately begin leading her out of the Cafeteria.

_I hope you know what you are doing Wayne. I really hope that you do._

* * *

Entering the viewing deck, I suddenly whip myself around and draw her in close. She lets out a small gasp of complete surprise and I can feel her heart beat speed up. No doubt that she was not expecting this turn of events at all.

I allow myself a small grin and rest my forehead against her own. Staring deep into her eyes, I begin to speak.

"Diana, I have been a complete and total idiot. I'm not saying that this will be easy, but I am ready to take that leap with you. If you are still willing that is. No matter how hard I tried last night to fight against what I am doing now, I just couldn't. Throughout the years, you have managed to occupy my mind twenty-four seven. Now, I know that this perhaps is a bit shocking to you..." She just nods her head slightly. "But I am willing to try. To risk doing the impossible. What do you say?"

She wraps her arms around my neck and stares at me diligently. "I say that we should take this slow. I think you would agree with me on that. I also know that you'd like to keep this as a secret, and I'm fine with that for now, but I want for this to work Bruce. I need to know that you will try. This cannot be a one sided relationship."

I look into her eyes deeply and decide that it would be best to answer her in a way that will not make her doubt my assurances of this decision. Slipping off my cowl once more, I grip her about the face and lean in close.

* * *

**Kal's P.O.V.**

* * *

I know that I should not be eavesdropping nor spying on them, but I can't help it. Last night she had seemed so heartbroken and weary. I comforted her the best I could, but I could still sense the feeling of distress weighing heavily on her heart. I immediately knew that it was his fault. I experienced such a burning anger that was most definitely directed toward him. Only he had the ability to inflict such emotions on a woman that, over the years, I have known to only execute personality traits of great strength in will and bravery. How could he live with himself when he knew that he did such things to her? Why could not choose and abide by a single decision? Could he not see that he was only succeeding in slowly pulling her apart?

Foreign images of another woman begins to drift through my mind, but despite my attempt to grasp unto them firmly, they only dissipate into a cloud of thick fog. Right here, and right now, my only concerns lies with her. I lower my head and prick my ears forward. Their murmurs and her stern remarks reach my ears, and then the inevitable happens.

He grabs her about the face and leans in for an intimate act. The definition of this act is not fully known to me, but I realize that what he has done signifies something very important. They have both crossed a line that cannot be removed.

A unknown swirling hurricane of emotions rise up within me. I should feel happy for her. I should be grateful that he has finally done what he should have done years ago, but I am not. Instead I feel a twinge of dissatisfaction and anger.

With a low growl, I begin to leave the area and head for my temporary room. I do not feel like celebrating this moment as I know that she would want to.

Last night I had stayed in her room, but I can sense that tonight... it will not be so.

* * *

**One Week Later:**

* * *

"Seems that Diana has gotten over her grudge with you. Man, you should have seen her that night she marched up to the training room and beat all those bots up. I felt worried for you."

"I know, I saw the footage. How about you? Still carrying anything?"

"What? With Shayera? No. We're cool. I took her out on a date a few days ago."

Batman just stares at Green Lantern.

"What? You didn't think we wouldn't get back together again after that incident in space? Did you?"

"You said it not me."

"You're trying to mess with me. Well it's not going to work."

"Uh huh" Batman grabs his cup of coffee and takes a drink.

"Anyway why are we always talking of my love life? What's going on between you and Diana?"

"Nothing. She's just a respected coworker." He replies evenly.

"Uh. Huh." He says with a doubtful tone.

"I don't have time to pursue a relationship. My work is too important to allow any distractions. Diana's a remarkable woman…

She's a valued friend…

She's …..

Standing right behind me isn't she?"

"Don't let that stop you, keep digging." She responds, draping an arm lazily across his shoulders.

* * *

**Diana's P.O.V**

* * *

Smiling, I take my arm off of Bruce's shoulders and pull out my chair in order to take a seat on the smooth, steel surface. Yet, before I can complete the action, I feel the telepathic presence of J'onn probing my mind, so that he may communicate with me silently.

_"Diana? Are you busy at the moment?"_

_"No J'onn just eating. Is there something wrong?"_

"_Perhaps_." He answers back. His reply is neutral and I can't particularly pinpoint the reason that would urge him to want to talk to me at the moment. About a dozen possible situations run through my head and I brace myself against the table with the use of my arms. Leaning slightly forward, my body instantly stiffens as I prepare myself for any type of emergency that he may relay to me. Glancing to my left briefly, I come to find that Bruce and John are too engrossed in their latest conversation to notice my sudden change of posture.

_"Slow down Diana. Please. You have to remember that I can hear all your thoughts." _He replies patiently. His request instantly places a stop to the jumble of thoughts circulating within my head.

_"I'm sorry J'onn. Just the way a warrior thinks. Go ahead."_

_"The emergency isn't what you assume it to be."_ I frown outwardly, showing my sudden confusion to no one in particular.

_"What is it then?_" I ask, slightly tilting my head to the side and cocking my hip.

I can vaguely hear someone let loose a wolf whistle in the background. At that Batman suddenly whips his head around, dangerously narrowing his eyes as he scans the crowd for the unfortunate victim.

I smirk as I hear the sound of a hand smacking the backside of a solid head. This causes for a loud "Ow!" to echo throughout the room, along with a "Man! What'd you do that for?"

The stretch of silence informs me that "he", whoever he is, has caught sight of Batman glaring at him. Only a rookie would dare make a mistake such as that. Especially when it involves a very powerful Amazon, and a certain Dark Knight of Gotham.

Bruce, deciding that the poor soul got what he deserved, turns his attention back to me.

"Diana….?" He tries to grab my attention, but only succeeds in interrupting me. I quickly cut him off by lifting my hand and extending my palm outward in a stop motion. He understands and silence ensues.

J'onn continues.

_"Ever since this return to the Watchtower, I have sensed that something is troubling Clark. I would like for him to have some company, preferably someone who can talk with him and help relieve whatever burden it is that he carrying. He wishes to be in a less crowded area which is the exact opposite location of the cafeteria."_

_"Is everything alright J'onn?"_ I ask worriedly, biting the bottom of my lip.

He releases a mental sigh.

_"He has been going through a lot lately Diana. Emotionally and personally. Even The Man of Steel can have his limits and needs a friend to just listen."_

_"Where is he?"_

_"Right now he is on his way to the cafeteria. I hope you don't mind, but I already told him that you had agreed to speak with him. He will be there shortly."_

_"It was just as if you could read my mind." _He lets out a little chuckle at my latest attempt at humor. Granted, it still needs a lot of work. _"Of course I'll go with him. He's my friend, he would do no less for me."_

_"Thank you Diana."_

_"No, thank you J'onn for letting this be known to me._" I reply while inclining my head slightly forward. With that he severs the link, allowing for my attention to return to my current surroundings.

Soon I refocus on Batman and Green Lantern, who are at the moment looking at me quizzically. Well, at least Green Lantern is. Bruce just looks like his normal stoic self.

Pushing against the table lightly, I straighten myself up and grab a hold of my tray once again. Green Lantern cocks an eyebrow. "Leaving so soon?"

I nod feeling guilty since I was supposed to do something with Bruce and Green Lantern after lunch.

"Change of lunch plans, I'm meeting up with Kal."

"And this sudden change of occurrence was the reason you were spaced out for a moment just now?"

I nod my head.

"Yes, J'onn was relaying a request."

Green Lantern nods in understanding. Almost everybody -as the League founders of course- communicate with each other through the Martian Man hunter's mental link.

The comm. links were good to have but it was always great to have a telepathic on our team.

Then out of the corner of my eye I see a flash of blue and red. I turn in time to see Superman just striding through the sliding steel doors.

I watch as his eyes quickly scan the crowd. As soon as his eyes find my own, he gives me a small smile that is soon followed by a little wave.

I smile in return; a glowing sensation overwhelms me at the thought of me alone being responsible for the sudden spark of joy in his eyes that was not too long ago so sad.

Quickly I turn my line of vision toward Batman who is still sitting stock still in his chair.

"I'll catch up with you later Batman? I know that I wanted you to take a look... at my Jet."

He simply nods curtly, a small frown beginning to break out on his lips.

I turn to G.L.

"I'll catch up with you later on those mission reports GL. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me Diana." I smile at him gratefully.

"Bye." I give them a little wave over my shoulder.

"Bye Diana, enjoy." Of course it's no surprise that John is the only one to respond.

* * *

**Batman's P.O.V**

* * *

I watch as Wonder Woman and Superman exit the area, arms brushing slightly as they walk side by side, talking low.

"Wonder where they're off to." Green Lantern muses out loud. Since I'm not paying that much attention to him though, he ends up talking to himself. Still I manage to let out a small grunt in reply.

"Then again it makes sense." He continues with a thoughtful expression.

This catches my attention and I turn toward him, quirking an eyebrow as a sign of wanting to know more. John catches on immediately and wisely decides to not keep me waiting.

"I mean, the poor guy was just dumped by the woman he adores right after almost dying himself." I steeple my fingers and mull over this. I had figured as much that night we, three had gone on that mission. It wasnt too long when comformation of it being true spread through the watchtower's social circles. John continues to talk. "He needs someone to talk to that he's close with and that gets him. Diana happens to be that person at the moment, and to come to think of it... all the time. Besides he can use all the cheering up he can get, even if it is by a lethal Amazon Warrior."

Smirking at the very thought he ends the conversation by resuming his eating.

My appetite is suddenly gone and I push my tray slightly away from me.

No matter how hard I try not to, my line of vision returns to the steel doors.

I shouldn't be bothered by this but I can sense that there is something that's going to happen involving Superman.

He may seem unbothered by the recent events that occurred with Diana and I, but I can tell that it's only an act. He has only managed to wear another mask for all the world to see.

* * *

**Kal's P.O.V**

* * *

Sighing I close my eyes and just try to forget the flood of implanted memories that rush through my head. To forget her... Her face... Her eyes... Her smile... I try to forget everything. As a tiger I can, as a human I can't. Perhaps staying as a tiger isn't so bad, at least then these feelings would go away... Only to be replaced with stronger emotions when it came to Bruce and Di. There was no way to truly win. In either form, something was the cuase I of my internal conflict. Diana's voice breaks me out if my reverie.

"How are you doing Kal?" She questions. Her voice reminds me of that day she found me looking forlorn in her quarters before we were transferred to Bruce's mansion. I can clearly remember how her hands felt, her warmth and her scent.

I open my mouth to assure her that everything is fine. That I am alright even though I know that deep down I am not. As if sensing my thoughts, she quickly interrupts me before I can do so.

"No Kal. I want to know how you are really doing." I turn to look at her and find that her startling blue eyes are already locked unto my own. Searching her face, I don't find pity, or sadness. Instead I find genuine concern, determination and understanding being openly expressed by her. The face of a true, dear friend.

My shoulders slump forward and my fists loosen. Sensing my sudden change in attitude, she steps forward and places a reassuring hand on my shoulder. The gesture itself seems to return strength to my limbs and I know, without a doubt that I can confide in her. That with her help I will have the strength to move through all of this... this... confusion... anguish... hurt... pain... and loss.

Slowly I begin to tell her the whole story. The arguments that had been going on for months after that fight with Darksied. How she would become angry and spiteful for every long term mission that I would have to do.

These are things that I could not verbally express while being a tiger. Although, once in my other form all these problems slowly seem to fade away and became forgotten. Once again I question if perhaps it is better to have it stay that way?

Slowly she takes my chin in her fingers and forces my eyes to gaze into her own. I know what she is going to ask and I dread answering her.

"Kal?" She asks tentatively. "Have you gone to see Lois at all since you've returned to the Watchtower?"

I instantly stiffen and pull away form her presence. Her arm falls down from my chin with a dull thud as her bracelet clangs against her armor.

"Yes." I say tightly before walking briskly to the large windows over looking earth and placing distance between us. I can feel the air shift as she hovers over next to me once again.

"What happened?" She asks lowly. I glare at the stars, not wanting to speak, but her openness to this situation prompts me to start talking.

"I visited her at the Daily Planet five days ago. After she agreed to talk to me, I carried her to a quite place at the Central Park in order to have some privacy." I look at Diana now.

"When I said that I was sorry for making her feel like I was leaving her alone, and abandoning her she began to get teary eyed. I tried to comfort her, but she just started to back away and shake her head no." The compassion in Diana's eyes is almost too much for me to bear at the moment and once again my gaze travels to the floor.

"I continued apologizing to her, asking for a second chance to try and make things right again. The way it used to be before all of this had happened. Do you know what she said? She said 'Stop it Clark. I don't want to hear this. You and me, we are over and that's final.' When I asked her why, she answered saying that she couldn't handle the stress that came with being together anymore. The worrying... the waiting... not knowing when or if I would return to her." I stop.

"What else happened Kal?" She asks, prompting for me to continue. I don't want to continue but Di has a certain way about her that makes a person want to spill their guts right then and there. I take a deep breath.

"She told me that... that a week or so before I had disappeared for this latest mission she had secretly been seeing someone else already, before we had officially broken up."

Diana's eyes narrow to slits while flashing with anger. Her lips thin in a tight line at the news. I can understand why she would feel this way. That night I had stayed with her in her room for the last time, she herself confessed what had happened with Tom Tresser. Oh how my blood boiled that night. I wonder how she will take the rest of the news.

"That's not all. She also told me that she was... pregnant and that _other_ man was... Is the father." She stares at me in shock.

"You're absolutely sure? She wasn't just trying to hurt you with that statement?"

"Yes I'm sure, she allowed for me to scan her and I saw the fetus growing within her belly." I turn away and grip the frame of the window, gazing outside.

* * *

**Diana's P.O.V**

* * *

I look at him sideways and study his face. At first glance he looks his usual composed self, but after further examination you can see the haggard lines that are etched across his forehead...

The way his hair is slightly pulled in different directions...

The dark circles under his eyes...

His eyes…

They are what have changed the most.

They are no longer the cheerful, open, honest blue eyes that I have grown to know since my first day in man's world.

No.

These eyes are filled with that of grief, pain, and guilt.

My fists clench in anger at the very thought of what Louis has done in order to make Kal feel, and look this way.

I want to reach out to him and just hold him, but I know that I can't and that I won't. He has to let me comfort him on his own accord, not mine. So far he has opened up to me, but I know that there is more to this process than what has already occurred. A beep in my ear diverts my attention. Quickly I apply a slight amount of pressure on my comm. Link.

"Wonder Woman here." I say subconsciously.

J'onn's voice filters clearly through the link.

"Diana, you and Superman are needed in the southern regions of Thailand were a large earthquake has just struck."

"We're on our way J'onn. Wonder Woman out."

I look toward Kal and find him nodding in understanding. It's one of the perks of super hearing. In no time we have reached the transporters. Pressing the red button, a swirl of neon blue lights whirl around both of our bodies. Just before everything fades away though, the ominous sound of a chuckle reaches my ears, and I know...

That she is nearby. Watching and waiting for what she knows is to come.

* * *

**Until next time... I hope you enjoyed this chapter and all the others! :D**


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